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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29650683">You're Gonna Make Me Blush (Asahi x Reader)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/liz_dahwizz/pseuds/liz_dahwizz'>liz_dahwizz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Break Up, Confident Asahi, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fanfiction, Fashion Designer Azumane Asahi, First Dates, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, I Love You, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Karasuno, Love Confessions, Manga &amp; Anime, My First Fanfic, Nervous Azumane Asahi, Post-Time Skip, Pre-Time Skip, Romance, Soft Azumane Asahi, Volleyball, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Night</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:27:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>59,915</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29650683</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/liz_dahwizz/pseuds/liz_dahwizz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Who would of thought love between a shy, quiet, boy with a "glass heart" and an outgoing, energetic girl all started with a volleyball team and a hair tie?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Azumane Asahi &amp; Nishinoya Yuu, Azumane Asahi &amp; Sawamura Daichi &amp; Sugawara Koushi, Azumane Asahi/Reader, Azumane Asahi/You, Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>136</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Oh Sorry! I Thought You Were The Coach!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>⚠️Please read⚠️ Important Background Info ⬇️</p><p>Hello everyone! Thank you for choosing to read "You're Gonna Make Me Blush" (Asahi x Female Reader)!  </p><p>Just some background on this fanfic and me: I love watching anime very much and when I watched Haikyuu!!, I fell in love with Asahi. His smile, the way he blushes all the time, and HIS HAIR?!? Omg, I love him so much. But, watching him gain his confidence while playing throughout the show made me fall in love with him even more and I was like "Omg how does he just get so amazing than he was before?" I started reading fanfics about him and other characters I like (as one lonely, hopeless romantic does) and I couldn't connect with the stories because Y/N was always shy, insecure, and innocent, and I am totally the opposite. My imagination is pretty creative, so I started creating scenarios in my head about us together. I started writing a story about how Asahi and I fell in love, but also making a fic where Y/N is funny, energetic, confident, isn't a damsel in distress, and know she is the baddest BEAAACTHH to walk this planet, and in so, plays a huge part in Asahi building his confidence. Asahi is also the boy who teaches Y/N how to love again. This story follows the friends to lovers trope and the Cinnabon x Hot-Head ship dynamic (I'm a sucker for these). Also, the story takes place from the beginning of Haikyuu!! (Karasuno High Team Formation Arc) to Time Skip Asahi (Final Arc). I will keep updating the fic as frequently as I can because I have homework and stuff so, please bear with me. Well, I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it! Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b> <em>You know what would be good right now? Some rice balls. Mmm, I wonder if I have more in the fridge from the ones I bought last week. Jeez, I wonder when class is over so I can run home and stuff them in my face. Oh, how I love you rice balls... </em> </b>
</p><p>"Y/N...Hey, Y/N...¨, a voice in the distance calls out interrupting the wonderful dream you were having. ¨Y/N!!!¨ </p><p>¨I WAS NOT JUST DREAMING ABOUT RICE BALLS¨, you blurt out as you sit up at full attention. </p><p>¨Well, the look on your face definitely was a hungry one¨, Kiyoko said,  ¨Anyway, the dismissal bell rang already and class is over"</p><p>You glance around the room to see everyone packing up for the day and exiting the classroom. You look down at your math notebook that was covered in drool.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Dammit, this is the third time I fell asleep in class this week. </em> </b>
</p><p>As you're beating yourself up for not paying attention in class, you feel a poke in your shoulder. Kiyoko nudges you with a tissue so you can wipe the drool off your face. </p><p>¨Thank you¨, you said. </p><p>While you use the tissue to wipe the drool off your face, you notice that Kiyoko is just sitting there, watching you. From the time you transferred to Karasuno, she had sat next to you in your math class, and you still can't figure her out. She always had her hair in the same straight, shoulder-length style and always had a straightforward expression on her face. You can never read her. But, at this moment, you believe that the look on her face is scolding you for sleeping in class. </p><p>¨I know what you're thinking, "This is the third time she has fallen asleep in class. We are Third Years, we're about to go to college, slacking off is unacceptable. She has to get to bed early so she is more focused in class." I know, but math is soooo boring and I just got lost thinking about the rice balls I'm going to devour when I get home. I know I have to do better, but I don't need a lecture from you, I already get one from my mom every day.", you declare, being offended by Kiyoko's blank stare. </p><p>¨I wasn't going to say anything, but if I was, that is basically what I was gonna say", she slightly chuckles.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Oh my God, I got Kiyoko to laugh.</em> </b>
</p><p>For you to get someone with a nonchalant demeanor like her to laugh, it meant the world to you. You have made jokes with her before, but this is the first time she has laughed at something you said. It was a little hard to make friends since you transferred from the U.S., so having that moment with her made you feel a little more at ease at your new school. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Um, does this mean she is my....friend? I really hope so.</em> </b>
</p><p>You smiled. "Haha, very funny" You start to pack your things in your bag, when Kiyoko gets up from her seat. "I have to go now but I will see you tomorrow, Y/N" </p><p>"See you tomorrow", you respond. </p><p>Welp, I guess it's time to go home and eat some RICEEE BALLLLSS. </p><p>You jump out of your seat, swing your bag on your shoulder, and do a jolly little dance out of excitement of what's to come when you get home. As you are passing Kiyoko's desk, you see out of the corner of your eye, a red notebook. You pick it up and see that it's Kiyoko's math notebook that she left on her desk.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Kiyoko left her notebook. Guess even she forgets stuff behind. Aw damn, she just left. I don't know where she could be. Should I just give it to her tomorrow? No, she didn't leave too long ago, I'll just ask around. </em> </b>
</p><p>You walk out of the classroom and see two guys standing in the hallway. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Maybe they will know where she is. </em> </b>
</p><p>"Excuse me, do you know where Kiyoko might be? She left her notebook and I'm trying to give it back to her." </p><p>"Kiyoko?, one boy says trying to control his excitement, "I know where she is. Give it to me, I'll take it to her"</p><p>"No, let me take it off your hands, I had something to talk to her about anyway.", the other boy said while pushing his friend aside.</p><p>"You just wanna tell her how much you like her and that she is more beautiful than the moon", said the boy who offered first, while mocking his friend's crush for Kiyoko. </p><p>"NO I DO NOT!!", the other boy started blushing, "You're the one who is too scared to ask her out that you had to rehearse at my house 5 times" </p><p>"YOU SON OF A-"</p><p>The boys started to fight, as in their effort to prove who would be the one to confess their love to Kiyoko first. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I just wanna know where she is. Idiots.</em> </b>
</p><p>"She's in the gym", a girl on her way to the bathroom shouted as she passed us, eavesdropping on our conversation. "Ah, thank you so much! At least someone around here is helpful", you sneered at the boys for wasting your time.</p><p>As you walk off to go return the notebook , you wonder to yourself what Kiyoko could be doing in the gym. It was almost 4 p.m and the building was starting to feel like a ghost town. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Maybe she's in a club? She doesn't look like the type to play sports. But then again, she always surprises me. I should join a club to keep me doing something productive afterschool, not just stuffing my face and watching TV as soon as I get home. </em> </b>
</p><p>But, out of nowhere, the two boys fighting over Kiyoko popped into your head. You wondered why those boys were fighting each other just for the chance to talk to Kiyoko. This isn't the first time you have been with her or around when her name was the talk of the conversation and seen how boys became starstruck, flustered, and lost all common sense. </p><p>
  <b> <em>What is it about her that makes all the guys go crazy? Don't get me wrong she is really pretty, but I don't think I could handle every guy trying to get at me like that. I want a guy to like me for me, not because I'm a pretty face. Like I'm not some prey you can fight other guys for, and when you are victorious, you can have me. Pfftt, c'mon. And you would think they would take a hint when she doesn't pay them any mind, but they just want her more. Am I jealous of her?? Naw, I don't really want boys gawking over me like that. That would get annoying real quick. Yea, having a boy interested in you is cool but they are also dumb and a waste of time. Who needs a boy when you have rice balls?? Ah c'mon focus, let's just find Kiyoko, give back her notebook, and go home so I can munch on some sweet, sweet crab rice balls!</em> </b>
</p><p>After a long journey and getting lost 3 times, you finally arrived at the gym. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Jesus, this place is big, but I finally found the gym. That wasn't so hard! I knew you could do it Y/N. </em> </b>
</p><p>As you are walking towards the gym doors, you hear the sounds of sneakers squeaking against the floor, the sound of a hand smacking a ball, and whistle-blowing. </p><p>"Nice serve", a voice yells from inside the gym. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Boys are playing volleyball there, so why would Kiyoko be in... OHH she's the manager for the boys' volleyball team. That makes sense now. You slap your forehead for not putting two and two together.</em> </b>
</p><p><em><strong>Oww!</strong></em> You slapped it a little too hard.</p><p>It seems they are deep in practice so you're not sure if you should just go in or wait until they're done. You didn't want to interrupt. </p><p>"All right guys, let's call it a day." a voice who sounded like the coach said. The voice was closest to the door so you figured the coach was packed and ready to go home.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Well, I am glad that they're finished with practice. I would have had an anxiety attack if I interrupted their practice to ask a question. Well, I guess I should-</em> </b>
</p><p>You're suddenly interrupted by the door of the gym opening. A tall figure came out of the door and walked over to a volleyball that must have flown outside because  someone hit it too hard. He was around 6 feet tall with short scruff on his chin. His hair was in a bun with a white headband. He was large-boned, athletically built, and had broad shoulders. You noticed how big his hands were when he reached down to pick up the ball. He looked like one of those guys your mom would tell you to keep an eye out for when you were walking home alone at night.</p><p>
  <b> <em>That guy can't be in high school! He has to be at least in his 20s. Maybe that's the coach?, but oh my God no, I can't talk to him. He looks like he would be pissed off that I even wanted to ask him something. He's so tall, like he could crush me with his bare hands. I can't do it- </em> </b>
</p><p>A loud grumble from your stomach interrupted your thought process, reminding you to hurry it up so you can go home and fill it with delicious rice balls. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Right stomach, those sweet, sweet rice balls are waiting for me. I'LL DO IT!!...eventhoughiamreallyreallyscaredto.</em> </b>
</p><p>As the giant man was about to go inside, you build up all your courage and walk briskly over to him.</p><p>"Excus- excuse me? Sir?" The large man turning around to face you is now hovering over you like a skyscraper. "Are you finished with..with p-p-practice?", you stuttered, shaking in fear. </p><p>
  <b> <em>What will he say? Will he find me asking a question as a nuisance, will he be annoyed and make me feel like I am bothering him? Gasp!! WHAT IF HE SPIKES ME LIKE THAT VOLLEYBALL IN HIS HAND?!?!</em> </b>
</p><p>As you prepare yourself for your judgment day, you look up to see a shocked look on his face, like he couldn't believe what he had just heard. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Well, here it comes. He's totally gonna devour me now...</em> </b>
</p><p>"S-Sir?", he uttered with a shaky voice. "I thought Daichi was kidding but do I seriously look that old?!?!" </p><p>Surprised by his reaction to your question, you calm down and begin to get a real good look at him. You tilt your eyes down to look at what he is wearing and realize he has a practice jersey on. </p><p>"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. You looked older.", you say apologetically. "I thought you were the coach. My fault!!", you joked while nervously laughing. </p><p>"YOU THOUGHT I WAS THE COACH?!?!", the boy yelped as his soul left his body. While fighting back tears, he proceeded to crawl into a ball, repeating those words he had just heard over and over.</p><p>"Um... are you ok?", you ask reassuringly so that he knows there was no ill intention in your judgment of him. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Jeez, talk about a gentle giant. I hope I didn't kill him</em> </b>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Here...Just Use My Hair Tie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Um...hey, dude, are you OK? You’re starting to scare me now…”</p><p> You were not sure what to do, so you just watched the fragile boy go through the five stages of grief.</p><p>
  <b> <em>I hope I don’t have to call an ambulance for this guy, that would be more time spent not eating rice balls. What do I do?!? I can’t just leave him here. UGGHH!! Really God?!?! Are you trying to punish me for my gluttony?!?</em> </b>
</p><p>As you let out a frustrated sigh, the rest of the boys started coming out of the gym.</p><p>“Yea, like where is he off in a rush to? He’s got a hot date or something-”, said a boy while pushing the gym doors open. All the boys turn in one motion to start walking towards the entrance of the school, only to see you and a body on the ground behind you, in their path. </p><p>“Uhhh, I hope this isn’t what it looks like, because if it is, you should learn how to hide bodies better”, said the guy who opened the door. He was in front and looked like the leader of the group since all the other boys were behind him fearing for their lives, except one tall boy with glasses. He looked more annoyed than anything.</p><p>“Ahaha, no it’s not, I swear!”, you awkwardly chuckle, hoping they believe you.</p><p>
  <b> <em>I can’t go to jail, the food always sucks in jail. But, I do look good in orange…..Nevermind that! Just handle this so you can go home.</em> </b>
</p><p>You step to the side and reveal the soulless, but alive boy on the ground.</p><p>“Yeaaaah, umm...is he yours?”, you asked, pointing at the “unclaimed” body</p><p>“Oh my God, Asahi!!” The boys ran over to the guy on the ground like he was a lost puppy that had just been found. </p><p>“I KNOW CPR!”, a small boy with orange hair shouts. </p><p>“He’s not unconscious, you idiot!”, said a boy with black hair and a milk carton in his hand. “Did you learn anything in health class? He's having a heart attack, duh!”</p><p>“Haha, funny prank dude! I didn’t think you had it in you to do something like this”, said a boy with brown hair and a bleached dirty blond section in the front. “You got me….so, you can stop faking now…”</p><p> “OH MY GOD!! IS HE GONNA DIE?!?!”, said a boy with dark grayish-green hair with a flyaway piece of hair sticking up at the top.</p><p>
  <b> <em>It really wasn’t that serious. All they had to do is check his pulse. Like even I know that.</em> </b>
</p><p>“Guys! Back up and give him some room,” said the boy who saw you and the lifeless boy first. You could tell that he was the captain by the way he orchestrated the boys away from the body in a calm and orderly fashion and by the words "CAPTAIN" on his jacket.</p><p>“Asahi! Asahi! You gotta take it easy, buddy. Talk to me.” The captain picked up the boy and laid him across his lap like the boy was about to say his last words. He turned to you for answers. “What happened?”</p><p>“Well, I came here to find Kiyoko to give her notebook back to her, and he came outside and-”, While explaining what happened, you were interrupted by a ghastly voice coming from below.</p><p>“She... she called...she called me...she called me s-sir”, the boy uttered.</p><p>As soon as the other boys heard that, they all shook their heads in unison while trying to hold in their laughter. “Now Asahi, I know we tease you all the time, but you really don’t look that old. I’m sure she didn’t mean to hurt your feelings", the captain said while helping the boy up. “Right?", he said, turning to you for reassurance. </p><p>“Yeah, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. But hey, you can’t blame me. You’re big, tall, and have facial hair, I just assumed you were older. But, I am really sorry again for what I said”</p><p>The boy laughed while awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “No I’m sorry, I know you mean no harm, I shouldn’t have reacted like that. Please forgive me!”, the boy said while swinging into a bow, begging for your forgiveness. </p><p>You chuckle at his gesture. “It’s ok, don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re OK.” The boy stood up in embarrassment for being so apologetic. “Oh yeah, the reason I came here”, you said, remembering the mission, “Is Kiyoko here by any chance?”</p><p>“I’m here”, Kiyoko said. You turn around to meet her standing right behind you. “It’s almost 5. I thought you went home already”</p><p>“Yeah no. You left your notebook on your desk, so I came to give it back to you. I kinda got lost and when I got here, the practice was almost over and I didn't want to interrupt, so I waited until you were done. Here.” You handed the notebook over to her.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Mission complete! Rice balls here I come!</em> </b>
</p><p>Kiyoko blinked her eyes in confusion. “You missed the notes in class today, so I left it on my desk for you to take home to copy my notes.”</p><p>You blink your eyes in confusion at what she just said. Then, it hits you.</p><p>
  <b> <em>ARREE YOUU SERIOUSSS RIGHT NOWW?!?!! ALL THIS TIME THAT I WASTED I COULD HAVE BEEN HOME TEARING UP RICE BALLS BUT I JUST HAD TO BE A GOOD PERSON AND RETURN HER BOOK THAT SHE LEFT FOR ME?!?!?!</em> </b>
</p><p>“Y/N, are you ok?”</p><p>You realize that your face is screwed up from the yelling you were doing in your head. You relax your face and say, “Why didn’t you just tell me you left it for me?”</p><p>“Oh. I should have done that. I’m sorry”, she says realizing her mistake.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Aw, I can’t get mad at her, she had good intentions.</em> </b>
</p><p>You grab her hands and smile. “It’s OK, Kiyoko. No harm, no foul. Thank you though, I really appreciate it.” Kiyoko’s eyes grow wide for a second in awe of your smile, then she says, “We should start heading out now, it’s getting late.” “Yeah, you’re right”, you said. </p><p>“Hey, question, why didn’t you tell me you were the manager of the boys volleyball team?”, you ask Kiyoko while walking to the entrance of the school. “You didn’t ask, so I didn’t tell you”, she said.</p><p>
  <b> <em>That is such a Kiyoko thing to say.</em> </b>
</p><p>You pause. “You are totally right, I never asked”</p><p>When you get to the entrance, you see the captain, a boy with gray hair, and the boy who you thought was in his 20s. They see you and immediately start shushing each other and start walking over to you and Kiyoko. A car honks at Kiyoko and she proceeds to walk towards it.</p><p>"My dad is here. See you tomorrow, Y/N”</p><p>"Bye Kiyoko, see you tomorrow”</p><p>The three boys arrive where you are standing and you are eager to know why they have come over.</p><p>"Well, a girl almost killed my friend and I don’t even know the name of his attempted murderer”, says the captain, laughing at his joke. “And your name is?”</p><p>“Y/N, My name is Y/N”, you chuckle. “Well, can I know the names of the plaintiff and the people who are going to testify for him?”</p><p>The captain laughs. “AND she’s funny?!? Wow, buddy you better watch out. She’s a killer!” he says while swinging his arm around the boy with the facial hair. “I’m Daichi Sawamura”</p><p>“This is Sugawara Koshi”, he said pointing to the boy with the gray hair, “and this is Asahi Azumane” </p><p>
  <b> <em>So, that’s his name...Asahi Azumane. That’s a really nice name. It suits him, has a nice ring to it.</em> </b>
</p><p>“Asahi Azumane. That’s a nice name. I knew your name started with an “A”because someone yelled it when you were on the ground but I didn’t wanna say it and get it wrong, but I know it now...Asahi”</p><p>After hearing you say his name, Asahi immediately turned red. “Well- I mean- it’s fine- if you don’t remember- I don’t even remember my name half of the- time-”, he stuttered while rubbing the back of his neck even faster than last time.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Wow, for a big guy like him, I would expect him to be scary, but he is just an emotional wreck...but it’s kinda cute- AAAHH!! Really Y/N?!? We just met him and almost gave him a heart attack. This isn’t the time for you to have a crush on him.</em> </b>
</p><p>Sugawara elbowed Asahi in the stomach in an effort to bring him down to earth. “ANYWAY..”, he said through his teeth while glaring at Asahi, “It’s getting pretty late. Is your mom coming to pick you up, cuz if she is, we will wait here with you. RIGHT GUYSS?!?”</p><p>All three boys nodded their heads in agreement.</p><p>You wave your hands telling them to stop. “No, no, you don’t have to. I appreciate it but I live right up by Harumi Street, so I’m just going to walk home.”</p><p>Daichi and Sugawara both gasped in excitement. They looked at each other, then looked at Asahi, whose eyes were begging his friends to stop.</p><p>“OH IS THAT SOO?!? That’s so funny because Asahi here ALSO lives near Harumi street, ISN’T THAT RIGHT ASAHI?!?!”, shouted Sugawara in excitement, as he pushed Asahi in front of you to answer for himself.</p><p>Asahi was practically redder than a tomato and was shivering like it was freezing outside, and it was April. </p><p>“We-Well, yeah, I mean it’s- it’s not exactly Harumi S-Street, i-it’s more l-like ten blocks down from that street, but if-if it isn't any trouble, w-we could walk home t-together if that's ok w-with you-” Asahi was so much of a nervous, malfunctioning mess that he couldn’t look you in the eye, and it wasn’t because he was taller than you. “I-It’s ok if you don’t want to-”</p><p>“What?!? Oh my God, you can totally walk with me! I would love the company.”, you said interrupting his doubting words. </p><p>Those words shocked Asahi. You WANTED to walk home with HIM?!?! YOU would love HIS company?!?! The words you just said rang in his ear for a second, and even though he was a blushing mess, he smiled and was glad you accepted his offer.</p><p>Sugawara and Daichi were trying so hard to control their excitement but they controlled themselves in front of you guys. “Welp, we go this way, so Y/N, it was great meeting you, and I hope to see you again”, Daichi said while pointing behind him. “Byeeee Asaaahiiii! Get home saaaaaafe!! Text me when you get hoooome!!”, Sugawara shouted as Daichi and him headed home. Asahi and you waved at the two friends as they giggled into the distance.</p><p>
  <b> <em>What was all that about? I mean I kinda know but like that was weird. Anyway, time to walk home with Warning: Emotions-Unstable-Handle-With-Caution over here…</em> </b>
</p><p>“I am so sorry for them, they really are something sometimes...”, Asahi apologetically said. </p><p>You giggled. “It’s Ok, I thought they were funny. We all need friends to tease us once in a while”</p><p>Feeling reassured, Asahi smiled. </p><p>“Shall we be off then?”, you say with a little pizazz.</p><p>“Yes, w-we shall?”, he said like he was unsure that was the right thing to say.</p><p>“Welp…, that’s good enough for me...Let’s go.” You clap your hand in embarrassment and start walking.</p><p>- - -</p><p>The spring breeze blew through the cherry blossom trees as you and Asahi walked home together. The walk to your house isn’t too close or too far from school, but during that walk, the two of you talk the whole time. You both laughed over the chaos that happened outside of the gym and how that will be a story to tell one day. Asahi tells you about his classes, his friendship with Daichi and Sugawara, and that he is the ace of the volleyball team. You tell him that you transferred from New York, how it was hard to make friends, and how you have math class with Kiyoko. You enjoyed his company and how easy it was to talk to him. It felt like you could finally have a person to talk to and to call a friend after months of feeling alone at your new school...</p><p>
  <b> <em>This whole time we have been talking, I feel like we have known each other for years. Our conversations feel so natural. I hope we can walk home together more often. Wait? Did I just say that? We just met! YOU ARE GOING WAY TOO FAST!!! You’re acting like you're in a rom-com. What are you gonna do? Marry him because he walked you home?? Y/N, c’mon, let’s get back to reality. </em> </b>
</p><p>You refocus on the conversation you were having with Asahi. “Yeah, but that is so cool that you are the ace on the volleyball team, you have got to explain your role in a volleyball game to me one of these days”</p><p>“Yeah, I would love to. You should come to our games, well, when we have one”, Asahi offered, hoping you would say yes.</p><p>“I will definitely go if I have time to spare”, you eagerly said.</p><p>Now that you guys are walking together and he is close to you, you get one more good look at him. Asahi’s jawline was defined and he had a little stubble on it. He had a piece of hair tuck behind his ear that he would frequently retuck over and over when he was talking. You loved his hair in that low bun of his. It brought out the features in his face. He turned to look at you, and when he caught you staring, you turned around quickly and hoped he didn’t notice, but he did. He was confused but didn't read into it too much. He was a little taller than you and when he laughed, he looked down towards you. When he did that, your heart would skip a beat, but you played it off as nothing. You didn’t want to read into things like you do all the time. You wanted to be his friend....nothing more… nothing less…</p><p>After what felt like forever because of the deep conversation the two of you were having, you finally reached your house. Just as you arrived, you got one last look at Asahi before you went inside and you realized that he was using a rubber band to hold his bun together. You couldn’t believe the blasphemy you saw, and you had to address it.</p><p>“Asahi,” you said with a stern voice, “what did you use to tie up your bun?”</p><p>Asahi confusingly responded, “Umm, I didn’t have any more hair ties, and I had to tie my hair back for practice, so I found a rubber band in my bag and I used that. Why?”</p><p>You were appalled at his answer and lectured him on how rubber bands cause breakage in hair. You couldn’t bear the thought of his luscious locks breaking off because he wasn’t taking care of his hair. Asahi stared blankly at you, as this was all new info for him, but he loved to listen to you talk about something you were passionate about.  </p><p>“Oh my God, Asahi! Your hair is so beautiful, but if you keep doing that, you are going to break your hair off and you will be bald”, you scoldingly told him.</p><p>“Haha, Kiyoko said the same thing- wait, you said my hair was beautiful?”, he said as he paused to assure he heard you correctly.</p><p>“Yes I did, but it won’t be beautiful if it’s gone because you are breaking it off with rubber bands”</p><p>Frustrated that Asahi doesn’t see the importance of this issue, you reach into your bag to find the solution. “Here..”, you said as you extended the answer to all his problems in your hand. “Just use my hair tie”</p><p>Asahi’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes widened, and he blushed so hard, he thought he was going to burst. He stiffened his body and backed away from the hair tie like he wasn't worthy of such a gift. </p><p>“You should be using these and ONLY THESE in your hair, I had one in my bag so you’re lucky. Just think of it as a gift from me to you. That hair tie will keep your hair protected and still looking fabulous!”, you sang like you were in a TV commercial. </p><p>“T-Thank you”, Asahi said, while trying to hide the fact that he was dying inside because a girl gave him her hair tie.</p><p>Asahi began to do a switch-a-roo with the rubber band and your hair tie. You watched him as he took down his bun and his hair fell majestically on his shoulders. He ran his fingers through his straight, brown hair, grabbed all of it, and held it back. He twisted his hair around and around and sealed the bun with your hair tie. When he was finished, he asked you what you thought of his hair, and he met your eyes that were in awe of the beauty it just saw. </p><p>Suddenly, a gust of wind blew and the cherry blossoms that were on the ground started to float around you guys, creating the right scenery for the moment. You looked at him and felt sparks fly, and Asahi felt the sparks fly too. You’re eyes locked, your hearts beat as one, you both blushed uncontrollably, but you both couldn't look away. You both tried to be the first one to say something to break the tension but ended up fumbling over your own words. </p><p>
  <b> <em>What just happened? I don’t know what that was, but it was the hottest thing I have ever seen as long as I have been on this earth. Is he even real? He’s too cute, I can’t be around him anymore, I don’t wanna fall for someone else again. OH MY GOD, it’s not that serious. Or maybe it is? I don’t know what is going on!!! OK Y/N, keep your cool and don’t fall for him. All he did was tie his hair back….which was hot…BUT ANYWAY, there is only one way to combat this situation…being bold. You know what to do.</em> </b>
</p><p>As you both come down from Cloud 9, Asahi asks you again, “S-so, what do you think?”</p><p>You gather all your confidence and say, “It’s ok...but something is missing…”</p><p>Asahi looked puzzled as you started walking towards him.</p><p>You leaned in close so you both are only inches apart, you pulled out the piece of hair he tucks behind his ear on both sides and looked him in his eyes and say, “Now...it’s perfect”</p><p>If steam could come out of Asahi’s ears it would. Even though you are panicking, you stay locking eyes with him, listening to each other's breath and hearts racing. He gulped loudly and pulled on his collar. He could barely control himself and he whimpered because of how close you were to him. </p><p>
  <b> <em>OHMYGODICAN’TBELIEVEIDIDTHATHEISSOOOOCUTEEEOHMYGODDDDHOLYCRAP</em> </b>
</p><p>You pull away and start making your way to your front door.</p><p>Pretending like nothing happened you say, “Thank you for walking me home, I hope we can walk home together more often, what do you say?”</p><p>“Ye-yeah, yeah, yuppp. We can walk home together. Um I-I guess I’ll see you at school?”, Asahi said while stepping back from your house with his hands in his pockets and kicking the rocks on the sidewalk.</p><p>“Yes, totally! Tell Daichi and Sugawara I said Hi. Bye Asahii! See you around!”</p><p>“I will-will relay that message to them. See you around, Y/N”</p><p>You watch him walk away until he is out of sight, then you slam the door and squeal at what just happened. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Y/N!! You are such a bad girl sometimes!! Why did you do that? I thought we were going to be his friend... keyword FRIEND. I mean…I had to...like that boy…and when he was tying up his hair...WITH MY HAIR TIE, OH JESUS!! He is so pure though he probably doesn’t know what he did, BUT UGHH man was that SOMETHING!! But, I loved our talk while we walked, that was really nice. It made me feel welcome here. He is a nice kid....but for now...be...his..friend..nothing else. No more flirting Y/N...even though you really, really want to...</em> </b>
</p><p>After letting out your “Oh my God that boy was cute” scream, you take off your shoes at the door and greet your mom that is watching Tv in the living room. You thought she would be mad that you came home late, but when you told her a “friend” walked you home, she said it was fine. </p><p>
  <b> <em>OH RICEEEE BALLLSSS!! MAMA’S HOOOOME!!</em> </b>
</p><p>You skip to the kitchen and open the fridge to the sweet sweet rice balls you have been dreaming about since math class. You grab one and as you are undoing the wrapping to eat it, you realize that you aren’t hungry anymore like you were when school ended. Seems like your hunger has been satisfied.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Manager? Count me in!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“The answer is 3. X= 25”</p><p>“That is correct. Good job, Y/N!”, your teacher responded with a proud tone in his voice. He was glad to see you paying attention and participating in class. “Well class, the dismissal bell is about to ring so we are done for the day. Have a good Friday!”, he said as the bell rang.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Look at you Y/N, answering questions in class and paying attention, I am so proud of you. I am gonna treat myself to some ramen on the way home. You know what, I should ask Kiyoko if she wants to come with me, but I don’t want her going out of her way...Jesus, just ask her already…</em> </b>
</p><p>As you finish packing your things in your bag, you see that Kiyoko is already packed, waiting for you to turn around. You notice that she doesn’t have on her regular blank stare, but an expression like she was waiting to tell you something. </p><p>“That’s weird, your face has emotion today...did hell freeze over?”, you joked.</p><p>“Well, you stayed awake for the whole class and even answered a question, so I guess it did”, she quickly rebutted. </p><p>Surprised at her comment, you scoffed and laughed, ”Damn, I can’t even lie you got me there. Well, you gotta give me credit where credit is due, right?” </p><p>“Yes, that is true. Now, do what you did today every day for the rest of the year and you’ll be good.”, Kiyoko teased</p><p>“Oh my God, did you and my mom switch bodies or something?”, you said while you and Kiyoko both giggled at each other's snarky comments. “Anyway, what did you wanna tell me?”</p><p>Kiyoko reached into her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. “So, the coach of the volleyball team asked me to find people that would be interested in being a manager alongside me. I went around asking multiple people but no one was interested. I don’t really get along with people that well but I consider you a friend and thought that you would be interested in being a manager. The boys are really good and we are-” Kiyoko’s words start fading away because out of all of those words you only focused on one: friend.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Friend?...friend! She said "friend"! Oh my goodness, I finally made a friend. It’s not usually hard for me to make friends but since I’m in a different country, I am so happy about this. Huzzah!</em> </b>
</p><p>After you finish squealing in your head, you realize Kiyoko was still talking and refocused on what she was saying. “...going to the Inter-High prelims. Though we do have quite a few troublemakers, I’m sure you'll find that they’re a team you want to root for. So what do you say, will you join as a manager?” </p><p>“Manager? Count me in!”, you proclaimed. “That sounds really cool, and I’ll be with you so I am more than interested.” Kiyoko blushed a little. “Really? That’s great. Well, if you're not busy can you start today? We are having a meeting today about some practice games we have before Inter-High pre-lims.”</p><p>“Yeah, sure! Beats going home and laying on the couch”, you said awkwardly laughing at your shameful after-school routine.</p><p>After not having to do much convincing, you and Kiyoko start making your way towards the gym. Even though you were excited to start your new extracurricular activity, there was another ulterior motive to why you said yes to Kiyoko’s offer: you wanted to see him again. It’s been three days since you’ve seen Asahi. When you said to him that you would like to walk home with him more often, you were planning on asking him for his number but got scared and didn’t. You don’t have any classes with him and didn’t want to go around the school hopelessly looking for him, so you just left it alone.</p><p>
  <b> <em>I haven’t really thought about it much but I haven’t seen Asahi in 3 days...WHO AM I KIDDING I CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM!! I’m so dumb I should have got his number, but I chickened out and  I’m about to see him again and it’s gonna be awkward because I thought he blew me off and he’s gonna think that I blew him off and I am going to die inside. Yes, I wanna see him but I’m not going for him. I’m going so I can-</em> </b>
</p><p> “Daichi told me that you and Asahi walked home together on Tuesday after I left. I didn’t know you lived close to the school.”, Kiyoko stated, bringing up the situation so she could discuss it with you. “But you guys didn’t walk home together after that. Did something happen?” </p><p>“No no no it’s not like that we just walked home together it didn’t mean anything but I should have got his number before he left but he didn’t ask for mine so I thought us walking home was a one-time thing but I should have got his number and now I’m gonna see him and it’s gonna be awkward ohmygodddddd”, you murmur while placing your face in your hands in embarrassment.</p><p>“That’s so funny, Asahi said the same thing when I asked him what happened. You both overthink things too much. Just get his number after the meeting ”</p><p>“Yeah I know, I know...I will ask him for his number after the meeting”, you blurt in defense even though you know she is right. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Can Kiyoko read my mind? I was just telling myself that I need to get his number before I leave school today. It is really scary how right she is all the time...but I’m starting to think that she asked me to be the manager because she knew I wanted to see him again…or is that why I said yes? OK, I would say to see Asahi is like 20% of the reason why I am going. Ughh, I hate to admit it even if it’s in my thoughts...</em> </b>
</p><p>“Hey, question...do you wanna come with me to get ramen after the meeting? I was going to go after school but since I’m going to the meeting with you I thought I should invite you to come to eat with me afterwards.”</p><p>When you asked Kiyoko that, she stopped in her tracks and looked at you with big eyes. She had never been asked by one of her classmates to hang out after school (other than the boys at school who fangirled over her) and it made her happy that you asked her to eat ramen with you. “Eat ramen with you? Yes, I would love to!”, she gleamed. </p><p>You smiled. “Great! I’ve been wanting to hang out with you for a long time outside of math class because I consider you a friend and the only person that I really know at this school.”</p><p>Kiyoko smiled, “I was just going to say the same thing about you.”</p><p>The two of you acknowledge the friendship that has been established and giggle at how long you guys have been too shy to say it out loud. What a beautiful start to a friendship where great minds think alike. </p><p>Long and behold, you reach the gym. The boys were already in the gym practicing amongst themselves while waiting for their coach to arrive. The chaos of balls being spiked and volleyball calls being yelled echoed throughout the gym. Kiyoko stepped inside the gym before you to announce your arrival.</p><p>“Excuse me, everyone, may I have your attention for one moment please?”, Kiyoko said in a soft-toned voice.</p><p>What once was a noisy, chaotic gym was now a utopia of silence. The team immediately stopped what they were doing and gathered around Kiyoko, giving her their undivided attention.</p><p>
  <b> <em>She didn’t even have to yell and they fell into line. Was she a commander of an army in her past life?</em> </b>
</p><p>“I wanna introduce you to my friend who will be joining the club on a trial basis as the new manager”, Kiyoko said while stepping aside to reveal you standing in the doorway. </p><p>As you stepped into the gym, you looked around at everyone standing in front of you but found yourself locking eyes with Asahi for a moment, who was directly in front of you. As Asahi looked at you, you could tell that he had been wanting to see you, and you felt even more regret for not getting his number when you had the chance. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Dammit, of all people why did he have to be right in front of me? But, I can’t lie, I’m happy to see him again. It’s been three days and I am still thinking about our walk together...but don’t confuse yourself Brain; I missed us walking home together not HIM. OK, stop looking at him before everyone figures out you’re looking at him. </em> </b>
</p><p>As you quickly collect yourself from the hypnotic gaze of Asahi’s gentle eyes, you begin introducing yourself. “Hey guys, it’s nice to see you again. I know we met because I almost killed your friend over here’” you joked as you gestured over to  Asahi, “but now I get to formally introduce myself. My name is Y/N, I’m a third-year transfer student from the U.S. and I know Kiyoko because we have a math class together. It is very nice to meet all of you and I am excited to join your club.”</p><p>After you finish introducing yourself, you look around to see the boys on the team who looked like first and second years gather around you in awe like you were an alien that just landed on Earth. You were surprised the boy with glasses came over, since the last time you saw him he looked like every little thing annoyed him.</p><p>“A new person?!? Cool!”, the boy with the orange hair exclaimed. “Can you set some balls for me?”, he asked while extending a volleyball to you. The boy with black hair, who last time you saw him had a milk carton in his hand, glared at his shorter teammate and the boy with orange hair quickly retracted his extended arms from you.</p><p>You giggled at how wholesome the boy was. “I will if you tell me your name and what position you play on the team.” </p><p>The boy’s face lit up. “My name is Shoyo Hinata but you can just call me Shoyo and I am a decoy!”</p><p>You blankly stared at Hinata. “I have never heard of a decoy in volleyball so you are gonna have to explain that to me one of these days.” Hinata loved talking about volleyball so he was kind of upset that he had to wait to tell you all about his decoy position. You look over at the boy who scolded Hinata. “What is your name?”, you ask.</p><p>“I’m Tobio Kageyama and I’m a setter. You can just call me Kageyama”</p><p>“A setter...that’s cool. Nice to meet you, Kageyama”, you said. </p><p>The boy with the grayish-green hair with the fly away on the top stepped forward nervously, dragging the boy with blond hair and glasses along for moral support. “Hi, I’m Tadashi Yamaguchi but people just call me Yams. I usually just serve...and this is Kei Tsukishima”, he said while not making eye contact with you.</p><p>Tsukishima frowned at his friend, “I could’ve just told her my name myself, I don’t need you to speak for me, and you didn’t have to tell her my full name, my last would have been fine” He relaxed his face and looked over to you. “Yeah, I’m Tsukishima. I’m a middle blocker.”</p><p>
  <b> <em>Wow, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed today…</em> </b>
</p><p>“Middle blocker, cool! Oh, is there anything you would like for me to call you so that it’s easier for me-”</p><p>“Tsukishima....”, he interrupted</p><p>You stared at him, processing the way he just rudely shut down your preppy vibe. “OK got it...just Tsukishima.”, you say while moving on to the next person.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Yeeaahh...I already don’t like him.</em> </b>
</p><p>Next, you meet Kazuhito Narita, Chikara Ennoshita, and Hisashi Kinoshita. They are the substitute wing spikers of the team. You greeted them with a smile and they were taken aback by how warm it was. As soon as you are done meeting them, you move on to the last two, the boy with the brown hair with the bleached part in the front and a boy with a buzz cut. They were so eager for their turn to introduce themselves that it looked like they prepared a performance while you were talking to the other members of the team.</p><p>“...and last but not least, what are your names?”, you said giving them a jazzed-up intro for them to introduce themselves.</p><p>“You're right about us being last but not the least. I’m Yu Nishinoya, the star of this team, but all the ladies call me Noya!”, Nishinoya said with a cocky attitude. </p><p>“The name’s Ryunosuke Tanaka, but that's not important right now. I answered your question, now YOU have to answer MINE”, Tanaka said, beginning his interrogation. “Kiyoko said you are in her math class, right? Are you distracting Kiyoko from her studies?”</p><p>You look confused and don't know whether to laugh or not because you have a sense that he is being serious. </p><p>“Yeah! Also, she said you were her FRIEND? Well, answer me this! Are you encouraging her to participate in delinquent activities? I need to know if you are a person Lady Kiyoko should surround herself with!”, Nishinoya tagged in.</p><p>“ANSWER THE QUESTION!!” </p><p>“YEAH!! ANSWER THE QUESTION!!”</p><p>
  <b> <em>So these are the handfuls Kiyoko was talking about. She even has loyal followers on this team?!? Man, her followers are everywhere.</em> </b>
</p><p>As Nishinoya and Tanaka demand an answer out of you, you see Daichi walk up behind them and his aura glares harshly at the duo. Daichi didn’t even have to say anything and the boys quickly put their tails between their legs and apologized for their behavior. </p><p>Daichi grabbed Nishinoya and Tanaka by the head, not too tight but just the right grip to remind them that he could crush their heads in an instant. “If you couldn’t tell already, these are our troublemakers. Noya over here is our libero and Tanaka is our wing spiker…”, he said while ruffling their heads. “AND THEY ARE VERY SORRY FOR THEIR RUDE BEHAVIOR JUST NOW, RIGHT BOYS?!?!?”, he said passive-aggressively while putting his hands on the boys' shoulders.</p><p>Nishinoya and Tanaka immediately shook their heads in agreement while fearing what Daichi was going to do to them. You laughed, “No it’s alright Daichi, I totally get it. They had to make sure their Sweet Lady Kiyoko was not put in harm's way by interacting with a scoundrel such as myself.”, you said in a medieval accent while gesturing over to Kiyoko who was standing with Asahi and Sugawara. “I honor these noblemen for their duty and loyalty to their fairest Lady”, you continue while taking a curtsey.</p><p>You laugh at the joke you make and as you stand up, you see Nishinoya and Tanaka in awe of the monologue you just gave. They were used to people not entertaining them, so for you to piggyback off something they said was mind-boggling to them. You turned around to thank the rest of the boys for giving you a warm welcome. As you walked over to talk to the third years, Tanaka and Nishinoya, still in shock at the girl they just encountered, went to go practice drills with the other boys across the gym. </p><p>“You really shouldn’t encourage them, you know”, Daichi said while you guys walked over to where Asahi, Kiyoko, and Sugawara were standing. </p><p>“I know, I know, but I had to. They just handed me the opportunity and I had to take it”, you giggled.</p><p>Daichi laughed. “Well, it’s good to see you again. Welcome to the team!” </p><p>“Thank you!”, you said with a grin. “It’s nice to see you again, Sugawara...”, you said as Sugawara smiled.</p><p>You pan over to Asahi to see his face also in awe of your performance you put on for the two troublemakers. He was in awe of how natural your humor was and envied it. There was a weird tension between you guys and he didn't know what to say to you, so he waited for what you were going to say to him with his heart in his throat.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Oh, this is gonna be awkward...well it’s only gonna be awkward if you make it. Just tease him for not getting your number before he left your house...that should lighten the mood…</em> </b>
</p><p>“...and YOOOOOUU!!”, you said to Asahi as you watched him get scared because you were about to go off on him. “I am glad to see you, but I didn't expect it to be THREE DAYS of me waiting to see you again. You didn’t even ask for my number before you left my house, what type of guy does that?!?! Didn’t your mother teach you never to leave a girl waiting?!?”</p><p>The gym fell silent. Everyone watched you go off on Asahi like they were watching a soap opera. Everyone believed your acting and looked to Asahi in suspense of how he was going to defend himself.</p><p>“Well I-, I was going to b-but I didn’t know if you wanted to walk with me again o-or if it was a one-time t-thing, and I-I chickened out last minute-”, Asahi said, nervously pleading his case.</p><p>Your face goes from a frown to a smile. You roar into laughter. “I’m just kidding, it’s OK. I was gonna ask you for your number before you left but I chickened out too, then I guessed us walking home was only for that day and didn’t want to bother you so I left it alone...but oh man, you should have seen the look on your face, you looked like your life flashed before your eyes”, you said while wiping the tear from your eye.</p><p>Asahi stood there for a second and then laughed nervously. “Oh wow, I thought you were serious. Well, I’m glad it was just because we were in our heads, not because you were mad at me or something.”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m glad it was just a misunderstanding”, you giggle. “Just give me your number after we are done with the meeting, OK?”</p><p>Asahi blushed at how forwardly you asked for his number. He was not used to this type of interaction, let alone with a girl, and he tried to compose himself as best as he could to show that he wasn’t screaming inside. “Y-yeah, yeah sure! I’ll give you my number.”</p><p>
  <b> <em>AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! Y/N, YOU ARE JUST BEING BOLD LEFT AND RIGHT, AREN’T YOUUU?!?!? I ASKED HIM FOR HIS NUMBER!!! OH MY GODDDD!! I ASKED A GUY FOR HIS NUMBER!! Ahem OK, calm down, calm down, we can scream all about it after we get home…</em> </b>
</p><p>You were uncontrollably blushing at Asahi’s response but also really proud of yourself for asking a boy for his number. “OK, cool. Yeah, OK cool.”</p><p>Daichi, Sugawara, and Kiyoko blankly stared at both you and Asahi. The first and second years across the gym also stared in confusion of what they just saw. “What just happened?”, Sugawara said, breaking the silence. Both you and Asahi realize that you both aren’t the only people in the world and looked over at everyone in the gym staring at you guys. </p><p>You clear your throat indicating you were changing the subject. “Hey, Kiyoko, why don’t you explain more about what being a manager is like to me?”</p><p>“But I did in class today-”, Kiyoko said, not getting the hint.</p><p>“Well you know me and how I never pay attention I think you should explain it to me some more you are such a good explainer LET’S GO!”, you ramble on while pushing Kiyoko away from Asahi, Daichi, and Sugawara.</p><p>“YOU WALKED HER HOME AND DIDN’T GET HER NUMBER?!?!?”, Daichi and Sugawara yelled at Asahi.</p><p>“YOU WALKED A GIRL HOME AND DIDN’T TELL ME?!?!?”, Nishinoya yelled from across the gym while charging at Asahi.</p><p>“YOU WALKED A GIRL HOME?!?!?”, the rest of the team yelled in shock, finally processing what happened.</p><p>You and Kiyoko watched as Asahi got devoured with questions and scoldings for his stupid mistake. You felt bad for him but you were just glad you weren’t caught in the chaos.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Poor Asahi…</em> </b>
</p><p>“Hey, hey, hey! What’s all this commotion all about?”, a voice shouted from outside. Everyone turned their head to the door to see a man in a red jumpsuit with blond hair pulled back with a headband and a man shorter than him with black hair and glasses walk into the gym.</p><p>“What did I tell you guys about climbing Asahi?!? He is not a tree! Noya, get down!”, the man with the blond hair scolded while yanking Nishinoya off Asahi’s back. “I don’t have the time to drive you to the hospital because you had a great fall. Go sit down, I’ll be starting the meeting soon.”, he ordered as he pointed to the floor in front of a chalkboard. The boys quickly shuffled to the spot on the floor and sat down. The man walked over to you and Kiyoko, shaking his head in frustration at the team he was in charge of.</p><p>“Sorry I’m late, I got caught in traffic. Hi, I’m Coach Ukai. You must be Y/N, the transfer student from the U.S. Kiyoko told me about you and she gave you a good recommendation. I know Kiyoko told you about a trial period but do you see yourself being our manager?” You paused for a second while you got a good look at Coach Ukai. He had two piercings on his left ear and his natural hair was brown but he had dyed his hair blond.</p><p>
  <b> <em>HE’S THE COACH?!?! When the school was looking for coaches, were they looking on a dating website, cuz Jesus is he hot!! Also, he looks young for a coach, like when you hear “coach” you think of an old retired man with gray hairs and a belly. Oh yeah, I’m definitely staying and becoming the manager of this team.</em> </b>
</p><p>“Yes I do and to be very honest, I don’t really need a trial period. Kiyoko told me that you needed more managers and I wanna help as much as I can. All the boys gave me a warm welcome and that was nice since I transferred here from overseas and it was hard to connect with anyone. I ran track back in the states and also helped manage the team, and Kiyoko is a great teacher so I think I should be fine.”, you answered.</p><p>“ Welp, that settles it. You’re our new manager, welcome to the team. Takeda will give you the paperwork to have your mom sign for the school to put in their files. Takeda!”, Ukai said while calling Takeda, the man with the glasses over. </p><p>“Yes yes, great! Here you go! Just have it signed and bring it to my office in room 205 on Monday. It’s great to have you on the team!”, Takeda said while excitingly handing you a paper from his bag. </p><p>“No, thank you for having me”, you respond, taking the paper and putting it in your bag. Kiyoko and you start walking over to where the boys were sitting. </p><p>“OK! Let’s get this meeting started!”, Ukai said, while following you two. “Tanaka, get those two chairs over there for these ladies please?”</p><p>Tanaka jolts up from the floor, “YES SIR!” He sprinted across the gym like his life depended on it. Once he grabbed the chairs, he sprinted over, placed the chairs behind you and Kiyoko, and dusted off the seats. He gestured to you guys to sit down and when back to the place on the floor he was sitting. While Kiyoko just sat down because she was used to his shenanigans, you were amazed at how fast Tanaka ran and came back. You collected your skirt and sat down in the chair as you waited for Coach Ukai to start the meeting.</p><p>Coach Ukai wrote down a schedule of games for the school year on the chalkboard. You noticed that the boys had a practice match in May then Interhigh in June. You remembered when you walked home with Asahi, he told you that he was surprised he was preparing for Interhigh because he didn’t wanna come back to the team this year. He lost all of his confidence when he couldn’t score against a school called Date Tech and quit the team. Asahi got into a fight with Nishinoya about rejoining the team and Nishinoya told him that if he didn’t join, he would boycott the team as well. Hinata and Kageyama came to convince Asahi to join and when he saw how well the team was doing, he remembered how much he missed volleyball and started coming to practice again. You were excited to see what Asahi could do on the court and you wanted to help him grow his confidence because you knew how much he loved playing volleyball. So at the practice game, you were going to observe him closely. </p><p>Coach Ukai finished writing on the chalkboard and turned around to face the boys on the floor.</p><p>“OK, let’s talk volleyball!”</p><p>- - -</p><p>When the meeting was finished, everybody helped pack up the equipment in the gym and proceeded to head home. You thanked the boys once again for welcoming you to the team and waved them goodbye. Everyone said goodbye to each other and went their separate ways. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi walked home together, and so did Hinata and Kageyama. Kiyoko and you started your journey to the ramen shop when you got a great idea. You went up to the third-year trio and asked them if they had time to spare. They said they were free and you asked them if they wanted to come with you and Kiyoko to go eat ramen. They said yes so Daichi, Sugawara, Asahi, Kiyoko, and you walked to a ramen shop that Daichi suggested. On the way there you guys talked about school, graduation, and the future you guys were about to enter after high school. When you arrived at the ramen shop, the five of you sat at a table by the window in the corner of the room. As you guys were eating, you shared stories about what it was like living in New York. Everyone was having fun and you felt happier in that moment than you had been in a long time. As you slurped the last of your noodles, you sat back in your chair and rubbed your belly.</p><p>“Oh my goodness, Daichi, that was soooo gooood.”, you moaned from being stuffed. </p><p>“Well that is certainly not the first time someone has said that to me”, Daichi said while clearing his throat.</p><p>Daichi and Sugawara laughed, but Asahi was appalled at the perverted joke. “Oh c’mon Daichi, really?”, Asahi said to Daichi with a disappointing tone in his voice. He looked at you ready to apologize for his friend's behavior but just found you laughing at Daichi's joke.  </p><p>“Haha, well I hope you can make me say that more often”, you said, matching Daichi’s energy. </p><p>Daichi and Sugawara both looked at each other shocked at what you said. “Ooohh, ok ok. I will make sure I do that”, Daichi flirted.</p><p>Asahi looked at you and Daichi then shrank into his seat. Kiyoko sat there clueless because she didn’t get the joke. “But no seriously, that was really good. Thank you for showing me this place.”, you said. “So, how are we splitting this? I have cash on me if that works for you guys”</p><p>“It’s my treat, don’t worry about it,'' Daichi insisted </p><p>“Oh wow, thanks, dude. You are such an angel, you know that?”, Sugawara said to Daichi.</p><p>Daichi grabbed the bill,“Haha, you just like free food”</p><p>“Let me at least cover the tip”, you persisted. Everyone looked at you in confusion then it hit you. “Oh, yeah you guys don’t do that here, sorry!”, you said while nervously laughing. </p><p>“It’s OK, don’t be embarrassed”, Asahi reassured to make you not feel bad because you didn’t know. You blush at him trying to comfort you and chuckle nervously. This time Kiyoko caught you and Asahi’s interaction and made a mental note to address it later.</p><p>The waitress picked up the money tray and you guys left the ramen shop. Kiyoko was going to walk home with Daichi and Sugawara, so Asahi and you waved them goodbye and started walking home. You noticed that Asahi had a lot of tonkotsu ramen at the restaurant and he told you that it was his favorite food. For the rest of the walk home, the two of you compared each other's favorite foods and made a promise to try them someday. Time flew by and you arrived at your house. The sun was setting and the light glistened off Asahi's face, making it golden. You wanted to stare at his face forever. You said goodbye  to Asahi but as you are about to walk up to your front door, you turned around because you forgot something important. </p><p>“I forgot something...your number”, you said like it was a cheesy pick-up line.</p><p>Asahi laughed. “Yes, you almost went home without it. We don’t want that happening again, now do we?”, he joked. </p><p>You hand Asahi your phone and he put his number in it. You called the phone number to make sure it was correct and an upbeat pop ringtone came from his pocket. You were surprised he had something like that as his ringtone but you giggled cuz you thought it was cute. He quickly shut it off and told you that it was the default ringtone and he just never got to change it, but you said you liked it so he decided to leave it. He added your phone number to his contacts and looked up and smiled at you when he was done. You thanked him for coming with you to eat ramen and he told you he was happy you invited him. After a minute of  continuously thanking each other, you both laughed and started heading to your houses. </p><p>You walked inside your house, locked the door and took off your shoes. You greet your mom and give her the paper to sign and she signed it right away. You set your bag down in your room and just as you are about to change out of your uniform, you get a notification on your phone. Your heart sunk to the bottom of your stomach. You check your phone and see it’s a new message from Asahi. You laid down on your bed and opened the message:</p><p><b>Asahi</b>: Hey I'm home, just to let you know.</p><p><b>You: </b>Ok, good. Thought you got lost along the way lol</p><p><b>Asahi</b>: Haha, no need to worry I got home just fine. </p><p><b>Asahi</b>: It was great to see you again </p><p><b>You: </b>It was great to see you again too! Well, I’m going to go to bed. Goodnight, Asahi  </p><p><b>Asah</b>i: Goodnight, Y/N</p><p>You stared at your screen for a second, looking at the conversation opened on your phone. You read the text “It was great to see you again” and your heart started beating fast. You sat up on your bed and grabbed your chest with concern.</p><p>
  <b> <em>I should go see a doctor. My heart beating fast could be a sign of high blood pressure. Yeah, high blood pressure...let’s go with that for now...</em> </b>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Look At Me...You Did Your Best</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s been a month since you joined as a manager on the boys’ volleyball team at Karasuno high. The team won their practice match against Aoba Johsai but they had to work on their receives to tighten up their defenses. As you record stats and refill water bottles with Kiyoko, you enjoyed watching the boys give it their all in practice. Kiyoko and you have gotten closer and the two of you bonded over Track &amp; Field since she had just retired from running not too long ago. It was nice to have made all these connections with everyone on the team in such a short amount of time. Sometimes during classes, if you saw one of the boys’ from the team passing by in the halls, you would wave and smile at them. You realize that you cross paths with a lot of them between classes, but never Asahi. You would think Asahi was a ghost you could only see in the gym because you never saw him during school hours, not that not seeing him was something you couldn’t live without, but it would be nice to bump into him in the halls once and a while. Even though you didn’t see him during school, you guys spent time together while walking home from practice. If there was no practice that day, before walking home you and Asahi sometimes would have a little one-on-one volleyball match. He would teach you some volleyball skills like spiking and passing, and the look on his face when he was teaching you how to play was priceless. You found yourself falling in love with the game because of how happy Asahi was when he talked about it; you could literally listen to him talk forever.</p><p>Today at practice, Coach Ukai dragged a big box into the gym and started handing out uniforms to the team. The uniform was a black jersey and shorts with orange details. As the boys got their numbered jerseys, you noted who got what number. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I guess Daichi is one because he’s the captain, and Hinata, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi are ten, eleven, and twelve because they are always together in the middle. I may be wrong but I think that’s why. Asahi is number three...huh...I don’t know why but that suits him so well. Number 3, The Ace…sounds like a wrestling name haha</em> </b>
</p><p>“You know what they say: “All good things come in threes”, you said to Asahi who was admiring his uniform and the memories he made with it.</p><p>Asahi looked up at you. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before, but bad things also come in threes, like death”, Asahi said pessimistically.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Jesus, talk about morbid</em> </b>
</p><p>“Yeah, you could say that I guess”, you laugh. “but I seriously love the colors of these uniforms. The black and the orange go so well together; it matches the “Karasuno Crows” nickname the team is known for.</p><p>“Yeah, the ferocious pack of crows that will peck your eyes out with a single volleyball serve”, Nishinoya said, butting into your conversation.</p><p>“You got that right, Noya!”, you said. “Also Asahi, the uniform matches the hair tie in your hair. I think that’s pretty cool”</p><p>Asahi became flustered because you were talking about the orange hair tie you gave him the first day you guys met. “Yeah, you’re right, I didn’t even realize that”</p><p>“Yeah, it does match..hey wait a minute, you always wear black hair ties, when did you start wearing colored ones?”, Nishinoya questioned, inspecting the hair tie in Asahi’s hair. Asahi panicked and didn’t know whether to lie or stay silent, knowing both would make him more suspicious.</p><p>“Oh, I gave him my hair tie because he didn’t have one. He used a rubber band to tie up his hair and I was like “No way, José”, so I just gave him mine. What a coincidence that it is orange”, you answered.</p><p>Nishinoya stared at Asahi, then you, then Asahi again. “Asahi, YOU DOG! SO WE ARE WEARING HAIR TIES THAT GIRLS GIVE US NOW?!?! I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE ANYMORE!!!”, Nishinoya yelled in disbelief. Asahi stood clueless because he didn’t know what he did wrong. </p><p>As you looked for an excuse to leave, Coach Ukai told you to come get something from him. “Um...Coach is calling me...so...imma go…”, you say under your breath as you walk away.</p><p>“Well, I knew this day would come. You are growing up and becoming a man. I’m so proud of you, son”, Nishinoya said while patting Asahi on the arm.</p><p>“Son? But Noya, I’m older than you, so wouldn’t you be my son?”, Asahi said, clueless of Nishinoya’s joke.</p><p>Nishinoya became fueled with anger because he took it that Asahi said that because he was short. He punched Asahi in the stomach and stormed off, leaving Asahi standing there confused. From across the gym, you watched the interaction between the giant and the dwarf unfold.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Damn, that looked like it hurt.</em> </b>
</p><p>“OK, here it is”, Coach Ukai said while pulling out a black jacket and matching sweatpants from the box. You turn the sweater around and find the words “Karasuno High School Volleyball Club” on the back. Your eyes gleam over the fact that you get a tracksuit, indicating that you are part of the team. You put the jacket on and it’s a perfect fit. You smile at everyone while showing off your new attire, and your smile lights up the gym. The smile on your face was contagious and everyone couldn’t help but smile at you. </p><p>When you smiled at Asahi, everyone in the gym disappeared and he only saw you. He looked at you and thought you were the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on. Coach Ukai clapped his hands together, snapping Asahi out of his trance. </p><p>“OK everyone, bring it in!” Everyone gathered around the coach, prepared to listen to his pep talk. </p><p>“It’s May, meaning we have one more month till Inter-High. You guys have been working hard, keep up the good work! Also, the training camp in Tokyo is in July so be prepared for that. I will give you more details about it as the days go by. Tomorrow is our practice match with Nekoma, you guys have been working hard and it’s time to show it on the court. It’s time to show them that we aren’t wingless crows, we are fearless ones!”</p><p>“YEAAHHH!!!”, everyone shouted, feeling pumped about the game there were going to play tomorrow</p><p>- - -</p><p>
  <b> <em>Wow! The city looks pretty from up here. I loved flying up here at night and seeing this great view. I wonder if I fly through that cloud will I get wet...well there’s only one way to find out. OK, brace yourself for impact...wait what’s that beeping noise. Ow, that’s really loud...OMG, THAT PLANE IS GONNA CRASH INTO ME!!</em> </b>
</p><p>As the plane was about to crash into you, you woke up only to find out it was all a dream. You turn over to your nightstand to see your alarm on your phone going off. Today was the Nekoma practice match but since you lived close to school, you weren’t in a rush. You hop out of bed and do your daily morning stretch. You walked to the bathroom and looked at your face that had drool all over it. You washed your face, brushed your teeth, and headed to the kitchen to get something to eat. You stumbled over to the fridge while your eyes were barely open, grabbed the milk, went over to the cabinet and grabbed a box of cereal, and sat down at the table. You rubbed your eyes and started pouring the cereal into the bowl while yawning loudly. </p><p>“Morning, Mom”</p><p>“Morning sweetheart”, your mom said while making eggs on the stove</p><p>“Morning, Asahi”</p><p>“Morning, Y/N”, Asahi said.</p><p>You finish pouring milk into your cereal and begin eating your breakfast. As you’re about to take your second spoonful of cereal, you do a double-take and see that Asahi is sitting next to you at the table. You backed your chair away from the table, stood up from your seat, and stared at the intruder in your house.</p><p>“ASAHI? WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE? OH MY GOD DID I WAKE UP LATE?!?”, you frantically ask while sitting back down and shoveling your cereal into your mouth. </p><p>Asahi put his hand on your shoulder. “No, no, don’t worry! We are right on time, there’s no need to rush!”, he said, wanting you to not panic because he thought you were going to choke on your food. </p><p>“That still doesn’t explain why you are in my house…”, you mumble</p><p>Asahi rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh yeah. You told me yesterday that we would walk to school together so I knocked on your door to see if you were ready and your mom let me in. She told me that you were already up and that I could wait inside. I also told her that I lived down the street and that we walk home together after-school, just in case she wanted to know who you were with while you were on your way home.”</p><p>You smile at Asahi’s courtesy. He is literally the sweetest</p><p>“Asahi, you are such a nice young man for walking my daughter home”, your mother commented. “and a handsome one too”, she said while looking at you.</p><p>Asahi blushed at the comment but you were angrily flustered by it. “Yeah, I think I’m done with breakfast”, you say while abruptly getting up from the table. “I’m going to go start getting ready.”</p><p>You walk into the bathroom and start taking a shower. The shower was your safe place where you could think your thoughts freely, and boy did you have thoughts that were being thunked.</p><p>
  <b> <em>SHE LET HIM INTO MY HOME?!?! IS THAT WOMAN CRAZY?!? I hope they didn’t have a conversation about me...she probably embarrassed me OH MY GODD!! Asahi saw the “fresh out of bed” version of me and it’s not pretty. HE SAW ME IN MY JAMMIES!!! I will never forgive her for this…</em> </b>
</p><p>You got out of the shower and put on the volleyball tracksuit that you hung up on the back of your door the night before. When you finished getting ready, you grabbed your bag on the floor and walked back to the kitchen. “I’m ready to go”</p><p>Asahi began walking to the door and started putting on his shoes. You kissed your mom goodbye and told her you will call her after the game is over. You put on your shoes and Asahi and you head out the door. </p><p>“Bye Asahi, it was nice meeting you! Oh, but if you guys are crossing the street, be sure to hold hands and cross together OK?”, your mom said, taunting you for walking to school with a guy. </p><p>You clenched your teeth and started walking faster. Asahi looked back to wave at your mom, then started jogging to catch up with you. </p><p>“Please tell me she didn't ask questions about you, me, or us?”, you said, hoping that your mom wasn’t embarrassing. </p><p>“Well, not too many questions. We just talked about you being the new manager on the team, school, and plans for the future. She did ask if I came from wealth or if I had a job though, if you really wanted to know”</p><p>
  <b> <em>I’m going to kill her when I get home…</em> </b>
</p><p>“I’m really sorry you had to deal with my mom questioning you like that, she can be embarrassing sometimes”, you apologized.</p><p>Asahi laughed. “No it’s ok, I’m sure she just wanted to know that her kid was in good hands. I’m glad I met her, she’s really nice, also I didn’t expect you to be wearing pink pajama pants with rainbows on them.”</p><p>“You’re one to talk, with your girly pop song for a ringtone”, you sneer.</p><p>Asahi bows his head in defeat. “You’re right, point taken.”</p><p>Asahi and you reached the school and see the majority of the team there. Once everyone was accounted for, you see a group of boys in red tracksuits walking toward you. It was the Nekoma team from Tokyo. The Karasuno boys began walking towards them to shake hands with their rival school. The team lined up to meet their rivals and you could feel the tension rise. Daichi shook hands with a tall, lean boy with upward spiked hair and fringe on the right side that covered his eye. He was the captain of the Nekoma volleyball team, Tetsuro Kuroo. A boy with a bleached blonde mohawk tried to intimidate the team but was reeled in by his teammate. Tanaka and him had a staring contest and you laughed because they looked and acted the same. You glance over to see Hinata talking to a boy about the same size as him with blond hair and black roots. Hinata told Kageyama that he knows the boy whose name is Kenma Kozume because he ran into him while they were jogging during practice. After meeting the team, you walk into the gym and start setting up. Once everything was done, the team got into a circle to go over the gameplay. You could see on everyone's face that they were ready to give it their all. All hands were in the middle and everyone was ready to go.</p><p>“Let’s do our best out there and show ‘em what we got!”, Daichi said. All the boys yelled in agreement and the starting line-up took their place on the court. As Asahi walked on the court, you were filled with excitement because you couldn’t wait to see Karasuno’s Ace in action.  </p><p>- - -</p><p>The boys lost the game 23 to 25. It was a good game and the boys played hard, but you were amazed at Asahi. His spikes were incredible and he was the reason for many of the points the team got during the game. When you watched Asahi jump to spike the ball, it was like time slowed down for a second and you were in wonderment of him. Even though the boys lost, they were proud of themselves for using everything in their arsenal. Coach Ukai told everyone that practice until Inter-High was going to be harsh and they were going to work on back-end spikes and signals. After reflecting on the game, Coach Ukai called it a day and Asahi and you began your walk home. You were so amazed at what you saw on the court so you began discussing it with Asahi. </p><p>“...and it was like Nekoma was a full-grown cat and Karasuno was a freshly-hatched crow that could still be a little feisty. I swear that Kenma guy read Hinata like an open book and crafted a master plan to stop him. Even though we lost, you guys were still amazing. What do you think?”, you said, looking over at Asahi for his opinion.</p><p>Asahi stared down at his feet and frowned his face, concentrating hard like he was trying to solve a difficult math problem. “Yeah, I mean I guess you could say that”. Asahi was playing a movie in his head, trying to figure out all the things he did wrong. He started mumbling to himself about what he should have done and you watched as he got deeper and deeper into his thoughts.</p><p>You couldn’t bear seeing him like that so you stood in front of him, grabbed him by his face with two hands, and forced him to look at you. “Hey, look at me...you did your best, OK? It was a practice match and your spikes were so good that the libero couldn’t even put the ball back into play. Instead of thinking about what you should have done, think about what you are going to do the next time you get on that court.”</p><p>Asahi listened to your words of encouragement and nodded his head. “Yeah, you're right. Thank you for that...I can really get in my head sometimes.” Asahi rested his face in your hand and grabbed it with appreciation.</p><p>You panicked from this and quickly yanked your hands from his face. “Yeah, no problem. I’m glad you f-felt inspired by my words”, you stuttered while grabbing the hand Asahi touched with your other hand. “Well, Inter-High is coming and we have work to do. Interhigh, here we come!”, you shout while running away to hind your flustered face.</p><p>Asahi being confused why you were running chased after you. “Hey, wait up! You run track, I’m not as fast as you! Wait up!”</p><p>
  <b> <em>- - -</em> </b>
</p><p>It was like a blink of an eye and the first day of Inter-High was here. Sixty teams were in the prefecture and it was single-elimination, so one loss and you're out. The boys were pumped and determined to change their “Flightless Crows” reputation. Karasuno’s first match was with Tokonami. The match went by relatively quickly and Karasuno won with little to no trouble. The boys regrouped at the bench and got ready for their next match with Date Tech. You look over to Asahi and see that he is not doing so well. You don’t blame him because Date Tech’s team has a great defense and is the reason why Asahi quit volleyball. Asahi started to panic because he didn’t feel like he could face them again.</p><p>Daichi walked over to Asahi to try to calm his nerves. “Hey man, don’t sweat. You’re gonna do alright”</p><p>Sugawara joined the “comfort Asahi” party, “Yeah man, I know you're gonna do your best!”</p><p>Asahi felt reassured but as soon as he saw Date Tech practicing on the court, he started panicking again. </p><p>“When they say they have an “Iron Wall of Defense” they aren’t lying my spikes wouldn’t even go through I mean this is so much pressure I know I’m the Ace and all but I mean I quit because of them and to face them again is just scary” Asahi rambled on, questioning whether him rejoining the volleyball team was a good idea. You watched from the bench as Daichi and Sugawara tried to calm Asahi down. The other boys watched Asahi’s breakdown and lost faith in winning against their upcoming opponent. </p><p>
  <b> <em>No, NO! I’m not going to let him doubt himself like that. His pity party is rubbing off on the whole team. How does he not see that his team looks up to him and believes in him? I gotta do something…</em> </b>
</p><p>Frustrated with the mood the team was in, you walk over to Asahi and punch him in the arm. Asahi snapped out of his mental warfare and looked at you in shock while grabbing the spot of his arm you punched him in. You frowned your face and pointed your finger at him sternly and began your monologue.</p><p>“I am not going to let you stand here and talk about yourself like that. So what you couldn’t break through their defenses? That was then and this is now. You were amazing in the last game, don’t stop being amazing just because the opponent is harder. Everyone here looks up to you because you are the ace and you bring so much power to the team. They believe in you and so do I, so it’s time for you to believe in yourself. Now, you’re gonna get rid of this condescending attitude, because it’s dragging the team down with you, and you are going to go out there on that court and give ‘em hell! You understand me?!?”</p><p>Everyone watched you as you scolded Asahi for raining on his parade and was in shock at how you called him out in front of everyone. Asahi saw how much you cared that he was confident before going on the court and he treasured the pep talk you gave him. He was still scared that you raised your voice at him so he was trembling but he knew you had good intentions.</p><p>Asahi stiffened his body as if he were standing at attention. “YES MA'AM!”, he yelled like a soldier. You blushed at his manners and how he referred to you so formally.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Did he just say yes Ma’am… Oh my God, I think I’m gonna be weak in the knees…</em> </b>
</p><p>You kept your composure and looked at the rest of the boys who were trying to analyze your passionate speech. Before they could get to the bottom of it you pointed at them sternly like you did when you were yelling at Asahi.</p><p>“That goes for you guys, too! Stop doubting yourself and go out there and show ‘em who's boss!”, you yelled. Your words pumped the boys up and they agreed with you by yelling and pumping their fists in the air. Everyone around you guys looked at the Karasuno team like they were crazy, but you guys didn’t care because you guys were determined to win. A buzzer went off in the gym, giving the cue for the boys to start heading to the court. </p><p>Coach Ukai got up from the bench and walked over to you. “Well, I guess I don’t have to give a pep talk”, he joked, putting his hand on your shoulder. “Why don’t you send them off? We can use all the good luck we can get”</p><p>You nodded your head, accepting the job with honor. The boys huddled in a circle looking at you for more words of encouragement.</p><p>“You guys know what to do…KARASUNO CROWS, FLY HIGH!”</p><p>‘YEAAHH!”</p><p>The boys break from the huddle and you sit back down on the bench next to Kiyoko. Asahi goes to his position on the court and looks at you, thanking you for the pep talk once again. You nod your head at him, wishing him good luck. </p><p>Coach Ukai lightly nudges you in the arm with his fist. “What would I ever do without you?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Y/N, Take Your Own Advice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Asahi, it’s all up to you!”</p><p>The ball was up in the air and Asahi prepared himself to spike, giving it everything he got. The “Iron Wall” was more like a gate without a latch because Asahi’s spike broke through with full force, winning the match for Karasuno. Everyone in the gym went crazy and Coach Ukai, Kiyoko, Takeda, and you were cheering at Asahi’s performance on the court. The boys ran to Asahi in celebration and you could see that Asahi was proud of how he powered through the wall. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I’m so proud of him</em> </b>
</p><p>The boys finished shaking hands with their opponents and started walking over to the bench to replenish their energy from the game they just played. Coach Ukai went over some things that the boys could work on, but all the focus was on Asahi’s winning spike.</p><p>“When you jumped it was like WHOOSH and when you spike the ball it went BAM and then it hit the floor with a BOOOOM”, Hinata said, mimicking Asahi’s spike.</p><p>“Yeah, it was sort of like that”, Asahi agreed.</p><p>You walked over to Asahi with your hands in the air, “Now THAT’S what I’m talking about! Give me some!”</p><p>Asahi blushed at your praise and gave you a high ten. You would think that his hands would be rough from smacking volleyballs all the time but they were memory-foam soft. You smiled at him but in your head, you were still thinking about how soft his hands were. </p><p>The boys were done for the day so they began packing up their things to go sit in the stands and observe Aoba Johsai, which they would play tomorrow. Kiyoko and you each grabbed the team’s water bottles that you guys had filled up and started handing them out. You watched as Kiyoko gave Tanaka his water bottle and Tanaka basically worshipped the water bottle because Kiyoko had touched it. Kiyoko didn’t respond in any way and just moved on to Nishinoya who was panting like he was in the Sahara desert. </p><p>
  <b> <em>It would be so funny if Tanaka and Kiyoko got married in the future, that would be something I would not believe even if I saw it. </em> </b>
</p><p>As you handed the water bottles to their owners, the last bottle in your hand was Asahi’s. The boys each wrote their names on their water bottles and even though some had at least one name or initials, Asahi’s bottle had his full name on it. You admired his neat handwriting and giggled at the fact that writing his full name on a water bottle is just something Asahi would do.</p><p>“...and here you go Mr.Azumane-”, you said while looking up from the bottle to find yourself in a loss of breath. Standing before you was Asahi lifting his jersey to wipe the sweat from his face. You were paralyzed at the sight of his slightly defined abs and v-line. The glistening sweat on his abdomen plus the movement of him taking deep breaths flowed so well together that you were mesmerized. Asahi finished wiping his face and realized that you were handing him his water bottle, so he let go of his jersey and thanked you for giving it to him.</p><p>
  <b> <em>HE...AAAHH...HE HAS ABS?!?!... OH MY LORD!! GOLLY GEE…HAAHAH...WOOOOW! JUST WOW!</em> </b>
</p><p>You turned red in the face and just stood there with no thoughts, just a picture of Asahi’s middle region in the front of your mind. You continued to stare at Asahi but were confused at why Asahi now had a concerned look on his face. “Y/N, your nose is bleeding!”, Asahi shouted while grabbing your face to see if you were OK. “Oh my God, you’re burning up too!”</p><p>You touched your nose and looked at your fingers to see it was painted red with blood. “Oh well, won’t you look at that!”, you joked. While you said that, it dawned on you that Asahi was holding your face with his hands and more blood started to drip down your nose. </p><p>Asahi ran to his bag, pulled out a pack of tissues, and quickly ran back over to you. As you were pinching the bridge of your nose to stop the bleeding, Asahi gave you tissues so you could plug your nose. Coach Ukai and the other boys ran over to see what the commotion was about and Asahi let them know what was happening. While the team went to the stands, Daichi walked you to the bathroom to take care of your bloody nose. Daichi waited outside the bathroom while you went to take care of your situation and when you removed your hand from your nose, the bleeding had stopped. You looked in the mirror at the disturbance Asahi had caused you.   </p><p>
  <b> <em>I see his stomach once and get a NOSE BLEED...jeez I wonder what will happen when I see his...STOP Y/N!! No dirty jokes right now! Anyway, I hope I didn’t get blood all over the floor. Asahi will be the death of me, I swear...</em> </b>
</p><p>As you stepped out of the bathroom, Daichi walked over to you to make sure you were OK. “I’m fine.”, you said. “The bleeding stopped but I will keep the pack of tissues Asahi gave me just in case.”</p><p>“Well, looks like Asahi saved the day once again, even though he was the cause of your nosebleed in the first place”, Daichi said, making an “I know what your hiding” face.</p><p>You cross your arms and give an aloof response. “I just got a nose bleed out of nowhere, I don’t know what Asahi has to do with it.”</p><p>“Right...Maybe when it gets warmer Asahi, Suga, Kiyoko, you and me should go to the beach and test out that theory, hm?”, he teased.</p><p>You flushed over the mental picture of Asahi shirtless that Daichi put in your head and stormed off in anger. </p><p>“Um..you're going the wrong way”, Daichi said while pointing in the opposite direction of where you were going. You furrowed your brows and turned around to storm off, this time in the right direction. </p><p>Back at school, everyone watched the local news broadcasting of the tournament. Everyone was excited to see themselves on television, especially Asahi who got to see himself in action. Shiratorizawa was showcased defeating their opponents and the boys acknowledged that they would have to face that school in a match one day, but an interview with Oikawa where he talks about crushing Karasuno reminded the boys that they were going to have a tough game with Oikawa on the court tomorrow.</p><p>- - -</p><p>Just like that, it was over. The game was so close but Aoba Johsai blocked Hinata's quick in the end and won the match. The boys were devastated and they tried their best to accept the fact that even though they gave it their all, they lost their rematch with Aoba Johsai in the last hour. Daichi took on his captain role and told the team that they did their best during the game. Kiyoko and you were also feeling the weight of the loss because you guys were rooting for them and believed they would win. The boys packed up their things, climbed inside the bus, and were ready to be driven home, but Coach Ukai drove to a restaurant instead. He didn’t say anything but the team knew that their coach was treating them to dinner. Everyone sat at the table, said their thanks for the food, and began to eat. You sat at the table and watched how the boys started to cry and let out all the pain they were holding inside. You ate your food and felt sorry for them because you knew how much they were trying to prove themselves on the court. After that, the bus drove back to school and everyone said their goodbyes. The whole walk home Asahi and you didn’t say a word, but when you got to your house, you saw Asahi’s disappointed face and you began to cry. Asahi embraced you and shared a moment of disappointment at the turnout of the game with you, but you didn’t sense sadness, you sensed determination. </p><p>The next day you were back to your normal school schedule. That morning you walked with Asahi to school to make sure he was doing OK and you shared your breakfast sandwich with him. You go about your day as usual and check-in with the other boys on the team who were moping around. When the dismissal bell rang, Kiyoko and you walked to Takeda’s office because he called for the third-years to meet with him. When you slid the office door open, you saw that Sugawara, Daichi, and Asahi were already inside sitting in front of Takeda who was at his desk. Daichi and Sugawara looked OK, and you figured that they would be doing better than the first and second-years because they have been on the team longer and have experienced tough losses like that before. Kiyoko and you sat in the two empty chairs that were in front of the desk and waited for the meeting to start.</p><p>“So, i’ve called you into the office to talk about your futures. You all have shown a real passion for this club but no matter what you want from volleyball, you have to consider your future. Make sure not to make any decisions that you would regret.”</p><p>After that meeting, there was practice as usual. You and the third-years walked to the gym but before going in, you guys discussed the decision that had to be made.</p><p>“What Takeda said is true. Guys, we need to be thinking about our future. We are third-years and the decision we make today will impact us five years from now.”, Daichi said. He looked over at Asahi who was thinking about what was said during the meeting. “Asahi, I know you didn’t wanna come back to volleyball and everything so if you want to leave that’s fine-”</p><p>Asahi clenched his fists. “I’m not done fighting”, he proclaimed. “I’m the Ace of the Karasuno team and no one is taking that title from me!”</p><p>All of you looked at Asahi and were stunned at the statement he just made. The amount of confidence and determination that was radiating from him made him unrecognizable. You couldn’t believe that this was the same boy who would weep in the corner if you called him “sir”. You found Asahi even more handsome than he was before and loved what you were seeing at that moment; the boy was getting his mojo back.</p><p>Daichi, Sugawara, Kiyoko, and you nodded your heads in agreement and headed inside the gym. You faced your underclassmen and told them that you guys weren’t going anywhere and everyone rejoiced. Practice went on per usual and while you and Kiyoko were filling up water bottles, you both looked at Asahi who was practicing his spikes against the wall. </p><p>“I don’t know what has gotten into him lately, but he is really taking charge”, Kiyoko said.</p><p>“Yeah, talk about spiking life like it's a volleyball”, you said.</p><p>Kiyoko looked at you blankly. “OK, I know that was horrible but that’s the first thing that came to mind”, you said, embarrassed about your volleyball analogy.</p><p>You both laughed and as Kiyoko went back to filling more water bottles, you glanced at Asahi once more and smiled at the growth you have watched him go through. </p><p>- - -</p><p>During lunch, you had to get a book for your English class so you went to the school’s library to find it. It had been four months since you transferred to Karasuno and you had to say you knew your way around the school pretty well. You walked into the library and looked around at the array of books in the school’s selection. You could see students with their work spread out on the table vigorously working or other kids on the computers researching answers on the internet. You weren’t one for studying but you knew that you had to stop slacking on your schoolwork. Your grades were good but you knew you could put some more effort into your studies. As you walked past the isles, you saw none other than Asahi, skimming through books in the English section. That was the section where the librarian told you the book would be, so you began walking over to Asahi who was too busy looking at the books on the top shelf to see you coming.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Of course, he’s in the library during his lunch period. What a nerd…</em> </b>
</p><p>“Hey stranger, you come here often?”, you whispered while sliding in front of Asahi</p><p>Your back was against the bookshelf and you looked up at Asahi who was still looking on the top shelf. Asahi didn’t hear you so you stood there, enjoying the view of him hovering over you. Asahi felt a presence in front of him and looked down in a panic but was relieved to find it was only you. “Oh, it’s just you! Hi Y/N, I thought I was in somebody's way”, he laughed while trying to lower his voice so he didn’t disturb anyone. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>You smiled. “Well it’s more like I’m in your way, but I’m here to get an English book for class”</p><p>“Oh me too, I’ve been looking but I can’t seem to find it…”, he said while skimming the books left to right and then moving to the middle shelf. He crouched down to get a better look at the books on the shelf and when he looked near your head, he saw the book he was looking for. “Ah, there it is!”, Asahi said, reaching past you and grabbing the book. While Asahi backed up and opened the book, you stood longing for Asahi to be close to you like that again. Every time he was near you, you got a whiff of his cologne that made your body tingle. The cologne and the lavender fabric softener that Asahi used to wash his uniform surprisingly didn’t clash, but they complemented each other, sending shivers down your spine every time you were with him. </p><p>Asahi invited you over to a small table in the back of the library where he was sitting. It was just you two so you guys weren’t disrupting anyone. Asahi talked about how much he loved reading and how he could spend hours getting lost in a book. He talked about classic literature and how his favorite genre was fantasy because while he was reading, he could imagine himself as the protagonist of the story. You rested your head on your hand with your forefinger on your cheekbone while you listened to Asahi tell you about his favorite book.</p><p>“...and that’s why he was the actual villain the whole time”, Asahi explained. “Oh sorry, I hope I didn’t bore you while I was rambling on”, he apologized.</p><p>“No, no, absolutely not”, you said. “Don’t apologize for talking about something you love, but anyway that sounds interesting. I will have to read it one of these days, maybe it will give my brain some exercise”, you laughed.</p><p>“Maybe we can take our brains on a run around the block, that would be good exercise”, Asahi joked. The two of you laughed and recognized that you both enjoyed each other's company. The quality time you guys spent together really meant the world to Asahi, as it did to you. </p><p>You got to talking some more and the meeting with Takeda became the topic of the conversation. Asahi explained that he was thinking about the future a lot and other than volleyball, getting good grades was his top priority. You were glad that he felt the same way as you did but you were in a funk because you knew that unavoidable question was coming: What are your plans for the future? </p><p>“Fashion design? That’s so cool”, you exclaimed. </p><p>“Yeah, believe it or not, I’m really good with my hands”, Asahi responded.</p><p>You held in your laughter. “Well, I’m gonna have to see about that”, you chuckle.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“What?” </p><p>“What did you say?” </p><p>“Nothing”</p><p>“OK…”, Asahi said, confused at what just happened. “Anyway, my grandmother was a seamstress and I used to help her out at her shop before she died. I used to do it just to help her out but I ended up falling in love with making clothes.” He proceeded to show you sketches in his phone of clothing he wanted to design. He had sketched things like dresses, pants, and jackets. You were amazed at his talent and saw he had an eye for detail. </p><p>“Asahi this is amazing!”, you said to him.</p><p>You could see a twinkle in his eye as Asahi appreciated the enthusiasm you had for his work. He put his phone face down on the table and you prepared yourself for the question Asahi was going to ask you. “So, what are your plans for the future?”</p><p>“Going to college, majoring in pre-med, and opening a private practice as a pediatrician.”</p><p>Asahi sat back in his chair in amazement. “Well, your future sounds better than mine”, he said in astonishment. “Come to think of it, we are about to graduate. Are you ready?”</p><p>You felt the words you were going to say crawl up your throat and spill out your mouth. “Yes I mean no I don’t know like my grades are good but they could be better and I feel like I’m running out of time but I’m just about to start my life and I should've paid more attention in class and I just don’t think I can handle all this pressure”, you expressed. You had been thinking about the future a lot lately and were regretting the decisions that you made during your high school career. Asahi watched as you beat yourself up and saw himself in you. He figured that even though you were always giving him advice, it was his turn to return the favor.</p><p>“Y/N!”, Asahi called out. You lifted your head to look at him. “Take your own advice.”</p><p>“Huh”, you questioned, puzzled by Asahi’s statement.</p><p>“When we were walking home and I was all in my head about the practice match, you told me that I did my best and to not think about what I could have done, but what I was going to do. I think you should take your own advice because you said it perfectly.”</p><p>
  <b> <em>He is right...I totally needed to hear that right now, but I hate that he used my words against me.</em> </b>
</p><p>You wiped the tears from your eye and leaned over the table to punch Asahi in his arm. After you punched him you said, “I hate that you used my words against me, but that’s exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you”</p><p>Asahi winced in pain. “You’re welcome. So I guess you punch me in the arm not only when I am pessimistic, but also when I’m right”, he said while rubbing his arm. You immediately apologized for punching him and he said it was fine because you didn’t punch him too hard. He found it cute when you got cross with him and punched him. He knew that it was out of love.</p><p>The bell rang and it was time to start heading to your next class. Asahi and you packed up your things and headed out of the library. Before going your separate ways, you thanked him for the talk you guys had. Asahi told you that it was no problem and he was glad to anytime you needed. He was the one person that you could just sit with and get everything off your chest. You were grateful for the friendship you had with him and you treasured it dearly. </p><p>“I really appreciate the time we spent together Asahi, I thought I should tell you that if I haven’t already.”, you said while looking at your feet and fumbling with your skirt. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Why am I so nervous saying that to Asahi? It’s Asahi! I’m just expressing my appreciation for him, why am I being so weird? I don’t understand myself sometimes…</em> </b>
</p><p>Asahi smiled. “I really enjoy spending time with you too Y/N, especially when we walk home together after practice. I’m really glad I met you.”</p><p>When you heard those words you smiled so hard, your cheeks started to hurt. “Stop it! You're gonna make me blush!”, you blushed. “Well, I have to go to class, but I hope you show me how good you are with your hands one of these days...”, you said, picking up Asahi’s hand and tracing his palm with your index finger. You walked away leaving Asahi standing there, stunned at the events that had unfolded. It took him a second but it finally hit him and he turned red in the face. </p><p>“Y/N!! I HOPE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT MY SEWING SKILLS!”, he yelped, cracking his voice from the thought of the dirty comment you made. You quickly scurried off to class, leaving Asahi a blushing mess in the hallway.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Just Admit It, You Like Him</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Oh look, a firefly!”, you shout, pointing to the floating green light in the air. </p><p>“Well, it’s July, so I guess they are out and about”, Asahi said. </p><p>Summer break had begun and it was the night before the Tokyo training camp at Nekoma High. Your mom invited Asahi and his mom over to your house so that they could eat the barbeque she was preparing. You watched as the two moms laughed and mingled in the kitchen while you sat on the steps outside next to Asahi. The two of you admired the fireflies that were now illuminating your backyard. You felt like your mom was courting you with Asahi just because he was a guy and you were a girl and you were not having it. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I don’t like this! I don’t like this at all! I know what she's doing...she did this with my last boyfriend. Trying to get friendly with the boy’s mom so when there’s a wedding, you guys are already BFFs. UGGHH!! I'm going to kill her...but I’m not mad that Asahi’s here though, I love seeing him...but what? I’m sitting next to him, so we are going to hold hands?!?! I know she is looking at us BUT IT’S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN, MOM! NEVER!</em> </b>
</p><p>You now frustrated at your mom’s schemes, refocus your attention on the fireflies flying around in the air. Asahi looks at you and admires your face. He caught himself staring at you and to stop himself from continuing, he attempted to make conversation.</p><p>“So, the training camp tomorrow! Are you excited? Coach said that other than Nekoma, there will be other schools there. I wonder who they could be!”</p><p>“Yeah, I think it’s really cool that we got invited. I think it will be good to practice as much as possible so we can be ready for Spring Interhigh.”, you said. “But, the real question is are you excited to work hard, Mr. Ace?”, you said, nudging Asahi in the arm. He chuckled and nodded his head yes. You both laughed and went back to gazing at the glowing lights when a fact you learned in elementary school popped into your head.</p><p>“Hey, did you know that fireflies’ butts glow because they are looking for a mate? So, we’re basically watching a bunch of horny bugs looking for someone to bang”, you explained with a straight face. </p><p>Asahi became flustered and covered his eyes with his hands. “OH MY GOD, Y/N?!? I KNOW YOU’RE RIGHT BUT WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SAY THAT SO BLUNTLY?!? WE SHOULD GIVE THEM SOME PRIVACY!!”, he shouted, wishing he had never known he was watching bugs who were in the mood. </p><p>You laughed at Asahi’s innocence being shattered, knowing you have corrupted his view of firefly season forever. “You’re so cute, but yeah, we should let them do their business. Also, I think the food is done”, you said, standing up to head inside.</p><p>“I’m cute?!?”, Asahi said. He looked backed to see you already in the kitchen and got up to join you.</p><p>Your mom had made an array of food, from ribs to smoked peppers. Everyone at the table dug in and gave your mother praise for the meal she had prepared. Your mom said it was no problem and she wanted to do something nice for the friends you and her made since moving to Japan. As you and Asahi ate, the moms started talking about how well their children got along. </p><p>“I am so happy that Y/N walks home with Asahi every day after school. You have raised such a respectful young man”, your mom said while looking at Asahi. Asahi bowed his head to show how he appreciated the comment.</p><p>“Yes, he is! He’s just like his father. But, I am glad to see he has made another friend and one that has the same interest as him”, Asahi’s mom said, looking over to you. “So, manager of the volleyball team? How do you like it so far? I know you guys have a training camp tomorrow”</p><p>“It’s really good. I was able to meet amazing people like Asahi, Kiyoko, and the rest of the team and that was really good considering I just transferred to a foreign country.”</p><p>“That’s great to hear! Well, I hope Asahi isn’t distracting you from managing”, she said, looking at your mom who was laughing. Asahi choked on the piece of meat he was eating and you patted him on the back so he wouldn’t die from the comment his mother made. </p><p>
  <b> <em>So she’s just like my mom...oh boy...</em> </b>
</p><p>A phone rang and Asahi’s mom reached into her pocket to answer it. She jolted up from the table and started heading for the door. “Shoot! I forgot! Sorry to leave so soon but work just called, I better get going!”</p><p>You, Asahi, and your mom all got up and started walking to the door to say your goodbyes. Asahi’s mother put on her shoes and picked up a duffle bag that was sitting by the door. She placed the duffle bag in Asahi’s hand and Asahi stood there in confusion.</p><p>“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you...I have to work late tonight and your dad is out too, and since you and Y/N are going to the training camp tomorrow, I thought it was best if you slept here for tonight!”, Asahi’s mother said while rubbing the back of her neck.</p><p>“SLEEP HERE TONIGHT?!?!”, Asahi and you shout. You both look at each other to see the other blushing at the unexpected slumber party that was about to happen. </p><p>“I’m sorry Asahi, I should have told you before, but I talked to Ms.Y/N on the phone yesterday and she said it was fine. I have to go to work now, but I will make it up to you when I get back, OK?”, Asahi’s mom said, begging for her son’s forgiveness.</p><p>Asahi smiled. “It’s OK Mom, I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine!”</p><p>
  <b> <em>YEAH BUT I'M NOT!!</em> </b>
</p><p>“You are such an angel! Thank you!”, Asahi’s mom said, kissing her son goodbye. “Text me when you get to Tokyo!”, she said, walking out the front door. </p><p>You stood there still not comprehending what just happened. “Alright kiddos, time for bed!”, your mother said while clapping her hands together. “You’ve got a long day tomorrow”. She walked into the kitchen and started cleaning up the table.</p><p>You put your hand over your mouth as you began to yawn. “Yeah, it’s time for bed.” You looked over to Asahi who was waiting for you to give him directions on how things are done in your house. </p><p>“So, you wanna sleep with me in my bed or..?”, you asked. Asahi shrieked at your question and his face got all red. “I- well I- I don’t think you should sleep with me- I meant sleep with me like going to bed not THAT t-type of sleep with me i-it just wouldn’t be r-right we can't-”, Asahi nervously ranted on like he was giving a PowerPoint presentation. </p><p>“I’m joking, I’m joking! I have a futon in my room. Man, you are so easy to scare”, you laughed. “But, you are polite. That’s one thing I love about you, Asahi”</p><p>Asahi blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, even though you proposed the idea, I still wanted to make sure that you were comfortable with it, even if you were joking.” You stared at him because his first thought was if you were comfortable.</p><p>
  <b> <em>This boy is making it very hard for me not to fall for him…</em> </b>
</p><p>- - -</p><p>“Y/N...Hey, Y/N...It’s time to get up”, Asahi said, gently shaking you to wake up. </p><p>“Mmh...what? Nooo, I don’t wanna get up”, you persisted.</p><p>“Well, your mom said that if you don’t get up, she’s going to pour a bucket of cold water on you again…” </p><p>You sat up in your bed with your eyes wide open. “I’M UP! I’M UP! I’M UP!”</p><p>“Wow, I guess your mother wasn’t lying when she said that would work”, Asahi said. </p><p>Shivers when down your spine as you thought of the harsh way your mother woke you up if you didn’t get a move on. <b> <em>Yeah, I am not in the mood for one of THOSE wake-up calls…</em> </b></p><p>You look over to Asahi who was in a white t-shirt and red shorts. He had his hair down in front of his face which kind of made him look like BigFoot. You looked at the time on your phone and realized that your mom had already left the house, meaning the whole thing about the cold bucket of water was just something your mom told Asahi to say to you because it would get you out of bed. </p><p>“Goodmorning!”, he smiled. </p><p>“Mmh...good..morn..ing…”, you mumbled while rubbing your eyes with the back of your hand. </p><p>You crawled out of bed and looked at yourself in the mirror. You opened your eyes to see you wearing an oversized t-shirt with stains on it and your pink shorts that had a hole on the side. There was crust in your eyes, drool on your face, and your hair was a mess. You looked at Asahi who was getting his clothes out of his duffle bag. “Aren’t you scared of the zombie that you see in front of you?”</p><p>“No, not really”, Asahi laughed. “You don’t look that bad. I have slept next to boys in volleyball camps for 3 years now, I would say this is nothing.”</p><p>“Well, that totally makes me feel better”, you said. “How did you sleep last night? I hope the futon was OK…”</p><p>“Yes, I slept great. Thanks for letting me stay over.”</p><p>“No problem! Anything to help a friend out!”, you said. “It looks like my mom left already, so I’ll go make us some breakfast. You’re my guest, so I’ll let you have the shower first.”</p><p>Asahi thanked you for your hospitality. “I’ll let you know when I’m done.”</p><p>You walked to the kitchen and started making breakfast. As you heard the shower running, you found yourself uncontrollably blushing as your imagination ran wild because you and Asahi were alone together.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Asahi is taking a shower and I’m making breakfast for us in my pajamas...if this doesn’t scream "married couple", I don’t know what does. OMG! ASAHI IS NAKED IN MY SHOWER!...Of course he’s naked, HE’S IN THE SHOWER YOU DUMMY! OK, this doesn’t mean anything, you're just letting your FRIEND shower in your house...and sleep on your futon...AND EAT THE FOOD YOU PREPARED FOR HIM! Why do I get like this when I’m with him or think about him?...I’m just going to suppress it and not think about how I may have a crush on him… I SAID SUPPRESS IT!! I HATE YOU BRAIN! REALLY I- </em> </b>
</p><p>“Y/N, I’m done!”, Asahi yelled from your room. </p><p>“Ok, cool! Breakfast is on the table!”, you yelled back. </p><p>You set the food down on the table and walked to the bathroom. You took a shower, put on your clothes, and sat down at the table with Asahi who was almost done with his food. He told you that he loved the food you made for him and you said it was nothing. When he finished his food, he sat the bowl down and watched you eat yours. You were a sloppy eater and weren’t one for practicing table etiquette while in your home. You came up for air from eating and caught Asahi staring at you like a person who was looking at art at an art gallery.</p><p>“You like what you see?”, you said while taking a bite of your food.</p><p>Asahi realized he was staring and apologized. “I was only staring because I’m done with my food and you're not, and it would be rude to just get up from the table. I also like watching you eat...NOT IN A WEIRD WAY BELIEVE ME I’M NOT A CREEP...just like in a “waiting until your done” way..”</p><p>You laughed at Asahi’s cover story. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I stare at you all the time”, you said. ”I admit it...I don’t care if you call me a creep!”</p><p>Asahi blushed at you. “Guess we both stare at each other from time to time...”, he said, rubbing the back of his neck like the nervous wreck he was. You gobbled up the last of your food to avoid saying anything stupid. “OK dude, it’s time to hit the road! You can stare at me in Tokyo, you weirdo. Let’s go!”</p><p>“R-right!”, Asahi said. He took the dishes to the sink and started to wash them. Even though you called him a weirdo for staring, you found yourself doing the same thing.</p><p>
  <b> <em>When are you gonna tell him, Y/N…?</em> </b>
</p><p>- - -</p><p>“Thanks for the meal!” </p><p>The training camp had ended and the coaches treated everyone to a barbecue. Along with Karasuno and Nekoma, schools like Fukurodani Academy, Shinzen High, and Ubugawa High had attended the camp. Outside of the gym, there was meat and veggies laid out on grills. All the boys ran to the grills with plates in their hands and started devouring the sizzling meat. You sat and ate your meat with the other managers of the teams. You got to know them and they were very excited to meet someone from America. During your conversation with the managers, you saw two boys gawking at Kiyoko. They were elbowing each other, seeing which one would go talk to Kiyoko first. All of a sudden, a dark aura appeared. Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Yamamoto, the boy with the blonde mohawk, started glaring at the boys with rage in their eyes. It looked like they were performing a tribal war dance and it scared off the boys who were attempting to make a pass at Kiyoko. </p><p>You stared at them in annoyance. “Are you serious right now? Him too?!?”</p><p>The other girls laughed. “Oh, you have no idea! Every time another school has a girl manager, Yamamoto glares at anyone who even looks in her direction”, Kaori, the manager of the Fukurodani team said. Nekoma and Fukurōdani practiced together a lot so she knew the boys on the Nekoma team. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Kiyoko literally does nothing…she barely says anything half of the time...boys will literally fall for anything that walks…</em> </b>
</p><p>You finished your food and looked around for a garbage can. The garbage can was next to Asahi, who was talking to the ace of the Fukurōdani team, Kotaro Bokuto. You remembered the boy’s name because during a game, his team said that they had to get around “Bokuto's Emo Mode”. You also noticed that because of his round, golden-colored eyes and spiky white-grey hair with black streaks, he reminded you of a horned owl. As you walked over to the garbage, you noticed that Asahi was actually mingling with the other boys. You would expect him to be off by the corner, but he was making conversation with others. You guessed that he was talking to Bokuto because they’re both Aces and they were going over the game they just played. Asahi was standing close to the garbage, so you passed by him and threw away your plate. </p><p>“Oh sorry, was I in your way?”, Asahi said, moving aside so you could pass.</p><p>“No, you’re OK!” You looked at Asahi’s bun and realized it was falling apart. “Hey, your bun is loose and it’s bothering me, let me get that for you”</p><p>“No it’s fine, you don’t have to-”, Asahi panicked, as your hands reached for his bun. You took out the hair tie and combed out his hair with your fingers. You massaged his scalp to loosen up his head because he had his hair tied up all day.  Since he was tall, you had to reach on your tippy-toes to collect all his hair in your hand. You held the hair tie in between your teeth as you wrapped his hair around into a bun, then took it and tied it in his hair. “There you go! Much better…Wait!” You walked in front of Asahi and pulled out the two side pieces of hair so they would fall on the sides of his face. “OK, THERE you go! I love it when those two side pieces are sticking out like that.”</p><p>Asahi looked like a happy dog who just received a belly scratch. “T-Thank you, Y/N. Please do that again…” He realized he said that out loud and quickly corrected himself. “I MEAN THANK YOU FOR FIXING MY HAIR! YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN IF YOU WANT, IT’S UP TO YOU!”</p><p>You giggled at Asahi’s panic. <b> <em>So that’s his weakness...how cute!</em> </b></p><p>“Are you guys like a thing?”, Bokuto asked, pointing his finger back and forth at you two.</p><p>Asahi and you stood in total shock at the question that Bokuto asked. Both of you tried to explain yourselves but were too much of a blushing mess to properly state how the two of you weren’t dating. </p><p>“No it’s not like that we are just friends I don’t know where you would get that idea from we are just friends that’s all-”</p><p>“Nothing is going on between us she’s a friend that’s all I don’t have feelings for her or anything that would be insane-”</p><p>You both tried to explain but dug yourselves into a bigger hole. Everyone watched in confusion as to why the two of you were trying to defend yourselves rather than give a straightforward answer.</p><p>Kuroo walked over and ruffled Bokuto’s hair. “Bokuto, you shouldn't ask people questions so bluntly.”</p><p>“But no guy looks at a girl like that unless he- OW!”, Bokuto said as Kuroo punched him in the shoulder. </p><p>“Sorry about him, he probably ate too much meat”, Kuroo laughed. “Hey, you’re the new manager that transferred from the U.S. Hi, I’m Tetsuro Kuroo. We had a practice match not too long ago.”</p><p>“Yes, I remember! I’m Y/N, it’s nice to meet you. You’re the captain right?”</p><p>“Yes, I am! So is he, even though he doesn’t act like it”, Kuroo joked, putting his arm around Bokuto.</p><p>"Hey, that was mean! You take that back!”, Bokuto yelled. Kuroo stuck out his tongue at him and Bokuto took a piece of meat off of Kuroo’s plate and ran away. “Bokuto, you bastard! Don't steal my meat, you jerk!”, Kuroo shouted while chasing after Bokuto. You and Asahi watched the boys run around and stared in confusion. </p><p>“Yeah...I don't know what that was about!”, you said.</p><p>“Yeah, I have no idea”, Asahi said while rubbing his neck. You looked at each other and realized that you both were hiding something. You could feel the tension rise and you both shared the same thought: Are we...like a...thing…?</p><p>To get out of the awkward situation, you told Asahi you needed to use the bathroom and went inside the building. You walked down the empty school hallway and tried to clear your thoughts.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Did we look like “a thing”...first off what does “a thing” even look like?! Well I mean I was getting defensive cuz I didn’t want it to look like I like him but Asahi did the same thing...so does that mean he was trying to cover up the fact that he has a thing for me? Does he? Do I? Oh my God, this is so confusing! My heart is beating so fast, I’m sweating...was it always this hot?!?! I don’t wanna read into it and be wrong...but what if I’m right? No! It doesn’t matter, be his friend...but I mean being his girlfriend wouldn’t be so bad...NO!! What if he’s just being nice and I mistook his kindness for a crush? I could be mistaking how I feel about him, too. I don’t have a crush on him! I don’t, and even if I do I’m not gonna act on it! Our friendship is more important...I don’t like him-</em> </b>
</p><p>“So, when are you going to tell him you like him?” </p><p>You froze and turned around to see who said that. You were too busy in your thoughts to see that Tsukishima was standing against the wall. You thought you were alone and you were mumbling to yourself, so you thought he had eased-dropped on the conversation you were having with yourself. </p><p>“I DON'T LIKE ASAHI!”, you shouted in anger. </p><p>Tsukishima smiled. “Ah, so you do like him! I knew I was right.”</p><p>“What the hell are you talking about, four eyes?”, you snapped back.</p><p>Tsukishima pushed up his glasses and laughed. “Well first off, I said “him”, I didn’t say a name. You are the one who said “Asahi”, not me, so I guess that’s what you were mumbling to yourself about. Second, I see the way you look at him. In practice, at games, when you hand him his water bottle. Finally, you're defensive. You were defensive when Bokuto said something and you're defensive now. Am I wrong? Please tell me if I am.”</p><p>You opened your mouth to say something but no words came out. You thought you hid it well from everyone but Tsukishima had pointed out things you couldn’t deny. You knew you were guilty, but you hated that Tsukishima caught you red-handed. </p><p>He turned his head from you and looked straight ahead. “Just admit it, you like him.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. What Are You Waiting For?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Who would have known you have a crush on Asahi? Tell me, is that also the reason you became our manager?”</p><p>You felt anger coursing through your veins as you watched Tsukishima gloat at his hypothesis that had been proven right. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I swear to God, this little dinosaur-loving weirdo is so annoying. How did he know? I swear I wasn’t making it obvious. I don’t want him spreading rumors around when I’m not ready to tell Asahi yet. I’m not even sure myself! Just find a way to get him to keep his mouth shut…</em> </b>
</p><p>“You know, I’m surprised you're here by yourself. I would expect your boyfriend to be here with you. You two are practically joined at the hip.” </p><p>Tsukishima got off the wall and walked towards you. “Yamaguchi is not my boyfriend, and don’t you ever call him that again!”, he growled.</p><p>“Oh, wow! I was right, he is your boyfriend. I didn’t say a name but the first person you could think of was Yams, who would have known?”, you laughed, throwing his words back in his face.</p><p>“What? Hey- Don’t change the subject, and stop calling him my boyfriend!”, Tsukishima said. </p><p>“I’ll stop calling your boyfriend your “boyfriend” if you keep your mouth shut. You caught me red-handed so I’m not even going to try to defend myself, but I don’t even know for sure if I like him so I don’t wanna get everyone’s hopes up. No! What am I saying?!? Whether I like Asahi or not is none of your business, OK?!? You got that?!?”</p><p>Tsukishima looked at you with an annoyed look on his face. “Jesus, are you bipolar? Your emotions are all over the place-”</p><p>“I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU ASK ME IF I’M ON MY PERIOD, THE ONLY ONE WHO WILL BE BLEEDING FOR A WEEK IS YOU!”</p><p>Your anger shocked Tsukishima and he admitted defeat to the tit-for-tat you were having with him. “I wasn’t going to ask that. I was going to say you should figure out your feelings soon because you guys are about to graduate and you may never see him again. I could care less about your love story but it would be a shame if you stopped yourself from telling him just because you’re scared.” </p><p>You stood in silence as you listened to Tsukishima’s words. You guys were always arguing so it startled you that he was this calm. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but your right... I’m sorry I yelled at you.”</p><p>Tsukishima smirked. “Of course I am.” He walked past you and headed toward the gym doors that lead outside. He put his hand on the door and looked back at you. “I won’t tell anyone about your little crush, it’s not my place to do so. But, you should tell him you like him because there’s a reason why Asahi likes to walk home with you…”</p><p>As you watched Tsukishima walk outside, you reflected on the words he said to you. </p><p>
  <b> <em>You know, I honestly thought he was going to rat me out, but he didn’t. I kinda feel bad that I was so harsh....ever since we met, we have never clicked and I always felt like he didn’t like me, but maybe I was wrong...WAIT A MINUTE?!?! DID HE SAY THAT THERE IS A REASON ASAHI LIKES TO WALK HOME WITH ME?!? Does that mean...Does Asahi actually like me? OK Y/N, he still could just be your average nice guy...just your neighborhood wholesome boy...but maybe, just maybe he does like me…</em> </b>
</p><p>While you played “He loves me, He loves me not” in your head, you felt the urge to use the bathroom. “I was just pretending to have to use the bathroom, but now I have to use it!”</p><p>After you used the bathroom, you rejoined the barbeque outside. You looked for Tsukishima and found him having a plate of food being shoved in his face by Daichi. Daichi was telling him he should eat but Tsukishima refused. Bokuto was also telling him that he needed to eat meat to get big and strong like he was. Kenma was also sitting there getting bombarded by Kuroo to eat more food. You watched the interaction between the two introverts on the stairs and the three extroverts hovering over them. It was a weird interaction but very amusing to watch.</p><p>“Psst, Y/N! Psst!”</p><p>You turned around to see Nishinoya and Tanaka standing against the building. “Yo, come over here Y/N, we wanna ask you something!”, Tanaka shouted. You rolled your eyes and walked over to see what they wanted. </p><p>I swear to God if it’s another dumb joke of theirs...Those two have the humor of a fart joke…</p><p>When you got over to where they were standing, the boys looked like they were holding in their laughter. “So, what did you wanna ask me?”</p><p>“I wanted to ask you...if you could tie my hair into a bun”, Tanaka said, hopelessly trying to keep himself from laughing. </p><p>Nishinoya laughed and cleared his throat. “Ahem, yeah. Also, can you tie my hair into a bun too, but make sure to pull out the two strands on the sides so they hang down just how you like ‘em!”</p><p>Nishinoya and Tanaka started to laugh at their joke so hard that their eyes were watering. When they opened their eyes, they realized that you weren’t in front of them, but you were now behind them. You covered their mouths with your hands and pulled them away from everyone else. Once you were far enough, you removed your hands from their mouths and let them go. The boys were now shaking in fear at the angry expression on your face. You were filled with rage at the joke the boys made and glared at them so hard, a vein was pulsating on your forehead. </p><p>“Now, which one of your limbs do you care about the most? Your arms or your legs?”</p><p>The boys screamed and held on to one another. “We’re sorry, Y/N! We were only joking, please don’t hurt us!” </p><p>
  <b> <em>You know what, I can’t get mad at them, I blush every time I see Asahi, and I’m doing the same thing they do when they see Kiyoko. </em> </b>
</p><p>You calm yourself down once more and apologize to the boys for scaring them. “You guys aren’t going to lose your limbs, but you will if you say anything. I don’t want him to know yet...I have to figure things out first, but I thought I hid it well. How did you guys know?”</p><p>Tanaka and Nishnoya raised their eyebrows and made a “really?’ face. “How did WE know? You’re nervous around Asahi the same way we’re nervous around Kiyoko, but at least Asahi doesn’t smack you when you try to jump on him”, Nishinoya said, rubbing his cheek. “But, at least I’m the chosen one! I am the only one Kiyoko has unleashed her wrath on.”</p><p>“Yeah...OK..”, you said. “Tanaka, how did you know?”</p><p>“Oh, c’mon! “Oh Asahi, here’s your water bottle! Hehe” “Oh Asahi, ready to walk home together? Hehe” “Oh Asahi, let me do your hair for you! Hehe”, Tanaka mimicked in a high-pitched voice. You raised your fist like you were about to hit him and he ran behind Nishinoya. </p><p>You lowered your fist and put your hand on your chin. “OK, as I know of, Tsukishima and you two know about this, but please don’t say anything. I wanna tell him myself and when I know for sure.”</p><p>Nishinoya and Tanaka motioned them zipping their mouths shut, locking it, and throwing away the key. You smiled at the boys, but then what Tsukishima said about Asahi came to mind. You knew that Asahi and Nishinoya were close and you wanted to know if Asahi had talked about you to him. </p><p>“Hey Noya, Tsukishima said that there was a reason Asahi likes walking home with me after practice...um...has Asahi ever talked about me when he’s with you? Or has he given you the vibe that he could possibly like me more than a friend?”</p><p>“So, you want information, huh? Well, that’s gonna cost ya!”, Nishinoya said, gesturing to you to give him some sort of payment for him to talk.</p><p>You reach into your pocket and pull out a piece of paper. “All I have is a coupon for this new ice-cream place that just opened-”</p><p>“I’ll take it!”, Nishinoya said, snatching the paper out of your hand and putting it in his pocket. </p><p>
  <b> <em>An ice-cream coupon is all it takes? Man his price is low…</em> </b>
</p><p>“OK...I was over at his house the other day and when we were talking he brought up how he faced his fears and broke through the “Iron Wall”. I told him that he should thank me for convincing him to get back on the team but he said that he should be thanking you. He went on and on about how you motivated him to do better and helped him with his anxiety. He also said he looked forward to walking home with you every day and that he was glad he met you. I’m still mad he didn’t thank me though, but that’s not the point-”</p><p>“Noya-”, you interrupted. Hearing how Asahi talks about you made your heart flutter. You had no idea that he was talking about you like that when you weren’t in the room. You guys did text sometimes at night and you wondered if he talked about that, but Nishinoya had no clue about the text messages.</p><p>
  <b> <em>I guess Asahi likes to keep some things private. I told my friends everything about him...I wish they were here right now. When I go back to New York, I have to tell them all about Asahi...maybe he will be my boyfriend by then EEEEEEE!!... Ahem, anyway…</em> </b>
</p><p>“When he was talking to you about me, what did he look like? Like what did his face look like?”, you asked.</p><p>“It was weird...it wasn’t like he was blushing or anything, he had a smile on his face, but it was like he was somewhere else...like he was on another planet or something...like he was spacing out…”</p><p>When Nishinoya said that, you panicked. You envisioned what Asahi’s face would look like and you came to a realization.  “Ahem, well thank you for that information, Noya. I’m gonna go now, but you enjoy that ice-cream coupon, OK?” </p><p>“I certainly will! Pleasure doing business with you!”, Nishinoya shouted as you walked away.</p><p>
  <b> <em>When he was talking about me, he had a smile on his face and he was staring off into space...No it can’t be… That’s the same look he had on his face when he was watching me eat… and when he was listening to me talk about going to college...Oh my God, DOES ASAHI LIKE ME?!? I mean this is good news but bad news at the same time...I don’t wanna get my hopes up but there’s no denying it. OK, but now I need to find out if he knows I know and if he knows that I like him. I can’t keep denying it anymore...I like Asahi...I LIKE ASAHI!! Oh my goodness, I was just trying to be his friend...</em> </b>
</p><p>- - -</p><p>It’s been a few days after the training camp and you were happy to be home again. You spent the majority of your summer with the volleyball team so you were happy to have time to yourself again. There were a few weeks of summer left and you were determined to enjoy them to the fullest before your last semester started. As much as you liked hanging out with Asahi and the boys, you wanted to have some “me time”. You needed a little break from Asahi, but even then, you were still thinking about him. Time was running out, and you had to tell him how you felt before it was too late. </p><p>“Y/N? Sweetie, would you come help me with dinner please?”, your mom shouted. </p><p>You hopped off your bed and walked to the kitchen. Your mom had a bunch of vegetables lined up next to a cutting board and a knife. You washed your hands and rolled up your sleeves. Every time your mom was cooking, she put you in charge of chopping the vegetables and you liked how she saved that job for you to do. You grabbed a carrot and began to chop it when you felt your mother’s eyes staring at you.</p><p>“Sooooo...how was the training camp? What’s the hot gossip or the “tea”, like you kids say?”</p><p>You paused from your cutting and stared at her. “What? Did I say it wrong?”, your mom asked.</p><p>“You know what nevermind…”, you said, shaking your head. “The training camp was fun. We met some of the other teams and the boys did really well during their games. Ever since they lost to Aoba Johsai, they have been more determined to go to the Spring Interhigh Qualifier. I’m proud of them, but especially Asahi. He has gotten confident lately after our win against Date Tech...I’m really proud of him…”</p><p>As you finished cutting the carrots, you looked up to see your mom’s eyes gleaming. “Aw, that’s so sweet! I’m so happy for them! Oh, speaking of Asahi, you guys haven’t been hanging out lately…did something happen?”</p><p>“Oh no, nothing happened, I just wanted to be by myself, that’s all. I basically spent my whole summer with him so I just need a break from him, you know? Also, the new season of my show is tonight, so I wanna watch it. There’s nothing wrong with just wanting to have some Me Time!” </p><p>“Well there is something wrong with purposely avoiding someone just because you have feelings for them.”, your mom said. She put a packet of ramen in a pot of boiling water that was on the stove and waited for your response. The silence was so loud that you could hear the lights buzzing. Your mother could read you like an open book and she knew the reason why you were avoiding Asahi. </p><p>
  <b> <em>How did she know? I mean she does know me better than I know myself, but still! I hate when she meddles in my business...but she is right, I am avoiding him…</em> </b>
</p><p>“You are probably wondering how I know that you’re avoiding him...”, your mother said. You became startled because she had read your mind. “You did the same thing when you liked Taye. You’re really predictable, you know?”</p><p>“Are you psychic or something?!?”, you asked. Your mom giggled and you handed her the vegetables you chopped. “But yeah your right, I am avoiding him, and before you bombard me with questions, yes I kinda have a thing for Asahi…”</p><p>“Yeah, I knew that already, I wasn’t going to ask you that. What I was going to ask you was why haven’t you told him yet? I mean it’s been 2 years since you dated Taye, I think you should go for it! You both obviously have a thing for each other, so just put on your big girl pants and tell him.”</p><p>“Well Mom, if it were just that easy I would have told him already. I have been thinking about this a lot and I just don’t wanna face the music. Asahi is a great guy and I love spending time with him, and he is sweet, kind, and sooooo handsome OH MY GOD Mom!”, you blushed. Your mom rapidly nodded her head in agreement. </p><p>“But...I don’t know...what if I am wrong? What if he is just nice and I’m taking it the wrong way? What if he is just being nice to me so he can get something?...and also I’m afraid that I’ll get so much in my head that I end up hurting him before he hurts me and that’s not fair to him-”</p><p>Your mom interrupted your rambling by grabbing your face with her hands. “Hey, hey, Woah! You haven’t even told the boy you like him and you are getting worked up about things that haven’t even happened yet!” You fell into a state of serenity as your mother calmed you down. </p><p>“It’s OK if you are wrong, that’s part of life! Sometimes you go for something and it won’t work out. I know you got your heart broken before and I’m not going to lie, it will happen again someday, but you will never know if it will work out unless you try. I know your friendship with him is important to you, but when you're ready, I think you should tell him how you feel. If he feels the same way, great, if he doesn’t, HIS LOSS! He would be stupid not to have you as his girlfriend!”</p><p>You smiled at your mom. “Thanks, Mom. Yeah, I’ll tell him...but I should test him first to see if he really does like me. I know you said that he does and so does everyone else, but I just need to know for sure-”</p><p>“Here, try this rice ball! They were on sale at the supermarket!”, your mom said, shoving food into your mouth to shut you up. </p><p>“Mmm, this is good- but that was rude! You can’t just shut me up with food!”, you scolded.</p><p>Your mom laughed at your hissy fit and you began to laugh as well. When the food was done, you both ate at the table and you listened to your mom talk about her day at work. Your mom was like your best friend and you loved when you guys spent time together. It meant the world to you. After dinner, you went to your room and flopped onto your bed. You stared at the ceiling and sighed. </p><p>Why am I so scared to tell Asahi I like him? It’s Asahi! I feel like he would be more nervous than I would be. I honestly think I knew he liked me,  I just didn’t wanna admit it. Mom’s right...it’s been two years since I dated Taye, I should get myself back out there...but I’m scared...I’m scared that I’ll get hurt again…</p><p>- - -</p><p>“Hey Y/N, I think I’m here. It’s Harumi Street, right?”</p><p>“Yeah Kiyoko, I’m coming outside.”</p><p>You walked to the door and opened it to see Kiyoko standing outside. “Oh, good. I thought you were lost.” </p><p>“No, I didn’t get lost. It was a nice walk from my house.”, Kiyoko said. You gestured her to come inside and when she walked through the door, you heard rustling coming from the bushes. </p><p>“Hey, did you hear something?”, you asked while looking outside to identify the noise. </p><p>“No, I didn’t hear anything”, Kiyoko said.</p><p>“Oh ok, maybe I’m imagining it”, you said. “Thanks for coming over!”</p><p>“Thanks for inviting me”, Kiyoko smiled.</p><p>Kiyoko came over to your house because you had invited her to a sleepover. You wanted to spend more time with her and your mom said you could have her over. The two of you watched TV, did facemasks together, and talked for hours. It was nice to hang out with a girl for once and you were so happy to have this quality time with her. You began to talk about the volleyball team and Kiyoko paused for a moment as she listened to you talk.</p><p>“...and I was just telling my mom about how he had become confident lately. It’s funny how he didn’t even want to come back on the team and look at him now, going to Spring Interhigh. I wish he would get out of his head and see how great he is…”</p><p>“Y/N, you have a crush on Asahi, don’t you?” Kiyoko asked you this so bluntly that you didn’t even have time to think. This is the fifth person to confront you about your little crush and normally you would get defensive, but this time you were tired of denying it and told her everything.</p><p>“Wow, this is a bigger crush than I thought,'' Kiyoko said. “Well, what are you waiting for?”</p><p>“Kiyoko, it’s not that simple I-... I haven’t told you this but it’s been two years since I dated my ex-boyfriend Taye. Yeah, you might say that “Oh, it’s been two years, you should get yourself back out there”, but I was really hurt in my last relationship. He was nice in the beginning, but as time went by, he slowly got tired of me because I wasn't “useful” to him anymore. Even though it’s been two years, it’s still hard for me to trust anyone and I’m scared that I will be the one to hurt Asahi before he hurts me, even though he is literally a ray of sunshine but I don’t know...I just get into my head a lot and I freak out because-”</p><p>“He’s making you lower your guard.” You looked at Kiyoko, shocked at what she said. “You don’t want him to get too close because you're afraid of getting hurt and even though you know he may have good intentions, you're scared that you’ll get hurt either way.”</p><p>
  <b> <em>Between Kiyoko and my mom, I don’t think I can take anymore mind-reading tonight…</em> </b>
</p><p>“I’ve seen the way he looks at you, the way he talks about you...he likes you, Y/N. It’s OK to be scared of getting hurt but you have to at least try, and even if you guys don’t work out, at least you went for it, because if you didn’t, I know you would probably regret it for the rest of your life.”</p><p>A tear rolled down your cheek as you took a deep breath. “I really don’t like you, you know?”, you laughed, wiping the tear from your face. Kiyoko hugged you and you embraced her, thanking her for the wise words she gave you. </p><p>You looked at the time and realized that it was getting late. “It’s getting pretty late so we should go to bed, but before we do that, let me find your “Mind-Reading” off switch so you don’t read my mind when I’m sleeping.”, you said while examining Kiyoko’s body as if you were looking for a button to turn off her mind-reading powers. </p><p>Kiyoko laughed. “You’re so silly…”</p><p>- - -</p><p>“OK, let’s go over the plan one more time. Kiyoko, you will have your sleepover with Y/N while Daichi and I sleep over at Asahi’s house.”</p><p>“It’s so convenient that they live ten blocks away from each other”, Daichi added.</p><p>“You will get Y/N to talk about Asahi, and Daichi and I will get Asahi to spill the beans about his true feelings for Y/N. Those two can’t keep it a secret any longer. We are going to get to the bottom of this before it’s too late!”</p><p>“It’s not like it’s much of a secret”, Kiyoko said. “They’re always nervous around each other and Asahi is always stuttering when he talks to her.”</p><p>“Yeah...now that you say that, you’re right. It was pretty obvious...but I still wanna hear them say it. We are about to graduate and it’s just painful to see them dance around the fact that they like each other. They just need a little push, that’s all. OK, Operation “Fall for the Ace” is in full swing!” Sugawara put his hand out to start a hand pile. He put Daichi’s hand on top of his and waited for Kiyoko to join the hand pile. “C’mon, Kiyoko put your hand in!”</p><p>“When you guys asked me what I was doing tonight, I should have said I was busy”, Kiyoko said while walking away. Kiyoko walked up to your doorstep with her bag that she had packed for the sleepover and called you on her phone. Sugawara and Daichi ran into a nearby bush and watched the plan unfold. </p><p>“Hey, move over! I can’t see!”, Sugawara said.</p><p>“Stop pushing me! She’s going to hear us!”, Daichi shushed.</p><p>“Hey, did you hear something?”, you asked while looking outside to identify the noise. </p><p>Daichi covered Sugawara's mouth with his hand and tried to stay as still as possible. “MMMH! MMMH!” Sugawara mumbled. Daichi and Sugawara watched from the bushes as you looked outside your door for the noise. </p><p>“No, I didn’t hear anything”, Kiyoko said.</p><p>“Oh ok, maybe I’m imagining it”, you said. The boys watched as you gestured for Kiyoko to come inside your house.  “Thanks for coming over!”</p><p>“Thanks for inviting me”, Kiyoko smiled.</p><p>When you shut the door, Daichi and Sugawara got out of the bush and ran away from your house so you wouldn’t see them. After a little bit of running, Daichi stopped to catch his breath. He looked back to see Sugawara running towards him with an angry look on his face. </p><p>“Dude, why were you making so much noise? Y/N could have caught us!”</p><p>Sugawara put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. “I was trying to tell you to move over because you were sitting on my hand.” He stood up and karate chopped Daichi in the stomach. “I know you were trying to cover my mouth so I wouldn’t make noise, but you covered my nose, too! If you want to kill me you can just say that!”</p><p>Daichi grabbed his stomach in pain. “Oops, sorry! I didn’t mean to do that, Suga. If I get you some Super Spicy Mapo Tofu, will you forgive me?”</p><p>“Oh, you know I can’t stay mad at you.”, Sugawara smiled. “Alright let’s go, Asahi’s love life isn’t gonna save itself!”</p><p>“Hey, guys! I was just about to call to see if you guys got lost or something.”, Asahi laughed. He opened the door to see his friends panting out of breath. “Why are you guys out of breath?”, Asahi asked. He quickly turned to Daichi and furrowed his brows. “and no dirty jokes, Daichi!”</p><p>“Wha- I wasn’t going to say anything dirty, but if I was going to, that would have been such a perfect time”, Daichi smirked. “Um, we were being chased by a raccoon, so that’s why we are out of breath.”</p><p>“Right...Come in”, Asahi said. He didn’t believe Daichi’s story one bit but he decided to just ignore it. </p><p>The boys had a lot of fun during their sleepover. Asahi had baked some cinnamon rolls for his friends before they came over, so Daichi and Sugawara enjoyed the delectable treats Asahi had made. They played video games and watched the Lion King. Asahi suggested the movie because you talked about how he reminded you of Simba. When the movie was over, the boys cleaned up the bowls and cups off the floor and sat in the kitchen looking for something to do.</p><p>“Y/N was right, I am kinda like Simba. Did you like the movie?”, Asahi asked.</p><p>“Yeah, it was good. Now, do you like-ACK!”, Sugawara said. Daichi smacked him in the back of his head to stop him from talking. </p><p>“It’s a classic, who wouldn’t love it?”, Daichi seethed, glaring at Sugawara. “This isn’t the time!”, his eyes glared. Shivers ran up and down Sugawara’s spine. “Asahi, can we have some water please?”</p><p>“Sure!” Asahi handed them water bottles from the fridge and as his friends drank out of dehydration, he came up with an idea.</p><p>“Hey, I don’t know if you would be up for this, but I just got some new skincare products and I was wondering if you guys would like to put them on with me.” Asahi panicked while waiting for what his friends were going to say.</p><p>Daichi and Sugawara looked at each other and smiled at Asahi. “Sure!”</p><p>The boys went to the bathroom and Asahi demonstrated his night-time skincare routine. He gave them headbands to tie their hair back and Sugawara and Daichi followed Asahi’s routine.</p><p>“I’m surprised you guys wanted to do this with me”, Asahi said, washing the facial scrub off his face.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s no big deal. My little sisters give me facials all the time and my face was feeling grimy anyway.”, Daichi said. </p><p>Sugawara washed the scrub off his face and admired his skin in the mirror. “Oh my God, my skin looks so good...and it’s super soft, too!” he said while rubbing his face.</p><p>After they washed their faces, the boys put on a peel-off mask and sat on Asahi’s bed talking about the future while waiting for the masks to dry. </p><p>“I have been thinking about joining the police force. It’s been my dream ever since I was a kid and I’ve already sent in my application to take the test. I can’t believe we are graduating soon, we were just first-years yesterday”, Daichi sighed. “Well Suga, what do you think you're gonna do after graduation? I think you should become a teacher or something.”</p><p>“I mean I do help out the daycare near my house, so that wouldn’t be a bad idea, but I don’t know yet. Asahi, do you have any idea what you're gonna do after graduation?”</p><p>“Well, I’ve been thinking of going into fashion design. My mom saw my sketches and she said that she could see my designs on runways but I don’t know…”</p><p>“Dude, your designs are really good! You have been talking about designing clothes ever since we met and I know that’s something you really want to do, so I think you should go for it, and listen Negative Goatee, if you keep doubting yourself, I’m going to karate chop you!”</p><p>“No, please! Your karate chops hurt!”, Asahi yelped. Sugawara and Daichi laughed and Asahi nervously laughed with them. </p><p>“Yeah, your right. I was thinking of opening up a shop in Tokyo and designing formal wear or something like that.” Asahi daydreamed about how his life would be if he was a fashion designer in Tokyo. </p><p>“So, where in the timeline of you becoming a fashion designer does your wedding with Y/N take place?”</p><p>Asahi’s daydream shattered as he heard the question that Daichi asked him. He was so shocked that he couldn’t move his face, and it wasn’t because of the mask drying on it. He proceeded to shut down and almost fainted onto his bed.</p><p>“Asahi, you’re going to mess up your mask!”, Daichi said while trying to resuscitate his friend. </p><p>“Wedding?!? What wedding?!? Y/N and I aren’t getting married any time soon I MEAN NEVER!! You guys need to stop making jokes like that it isn’t funny I-”</p><p>“Asahi c’mon, we know you better than anyone...just be honest with us.”, Sugawara pleaded.</p><p>Asahi took a deep breath and told his friends about the crush he had on you. He talked about how he was happy to meet you, how he could talk to you for hours, and how you made him feel confident and appreciated. After he was done, he looked at his friends who had tears in their eyes.</p><p>“Asahi, I knew you liked her, but I didn’t know you liked her this much! I don’t think you’ve ever talked about a girl like this!”, Daichi exclaimed.</p><p>“Aww, that was so beautiful”, Sugawara cried. “I wish someone would talk about me like that!”</p><p>Sugawara grabbed some tissue and gave some to Daichi. “Well Asahi, she totally likes you so you have to go for it! I can’t sit here and watch my friend not have a happy ending!”</p><p>“She likes me?!? Did she say that or...no I don’t think that’s right, you're playing a trick on me! What would make you say that?”</p><p>Daichi and Sugawara looked at each other in shock that Asahi missed the signs you were giving him. Daichi pulled out a notepad and a pen from his bag and waited for Sugawara to start the interrogation.</p><p>“Ok, since you’re the only one who doesn’t see it, I guess I’m gonna have to gather evidence to show you. Does she avoid eye contact when she’s talking to you?” </p><p>“Well I mean yeah, sometimes she-”</p><p>“Next question! Does she pretend she’s mad at you but she was just joking?”, Sugawara interrupted.</p><p>“Yeah, she does. She was mad at me the other day because-”</p><p>“Next question! Do you catch her staring at you, and when you do, does she pretend like she was doing something else?”</p><p>“Yes, she does that a lot! Well, I can’t blame her I do the same-”</p><p>“Ok, last question! When you guys are texting at night and you’re about to go to bed, does she text you “Goodnight” or “Gn”?”</p><p>“Neither...she always texts me “Goodnight Asahi”</p><p>Daichi and Sugawara gasped at the answer Asahi gave. Daichi nodded his head and scribbled on the notepad. “Ok Doc, what’s your diagnosis?”, Sugawara asked Daichi.</p><p>“My diagnosis is that she has the hots for you.”, Daichi said. </p><p>“Really? You think so? I thought she was just being nice but now that I think about it, she’s the only girl that hasn’t been scared to death of me, well she was when we first met but that’s not the point. I thought she liked you, Daichi! Last week she called you “hot stuff” when she saw you at practice!”</p><p>“Oh, that? No, she flirts like that with everyone. She calls Sugawara “sweetheart” at practice all the time.”, Daichi said. “I have a feeling that she’s the type of person that can flirt easily with people that she doesn’t have feelings for but can’t with someone she actually likes.”</p><p>“Well she calls me “weirdo” and punches me in the arm all the time!”, Asahi yelled, confused at why he hadn’t received a nickname like his friends did. </p><p>Daichi laughed. “Man, you really are clueless aren’t you? You're lucky you have us or this would’ve gone over your head. So Asahi...what are you waiting for?”</p><p>Asahi paused for a second and fidgeted with his fingers. “I mean I wanna tell her how I feel, but I don’t want to ruin our friendship. I really care about her and I haven’t been this close to a girl like this so it’s just a lot to think about. I know I’m running out of time, but if she likes me and she hasn’t told me yet, there may be a reason why and I don’t want to rush it. I like how things are right now and if they aren’t going to change, at least I can still call her my friend.”</p><p>Asahi smiled at the monologue he just gave and when he looked up, he saw his friends wiping their eyes with tissues. “Asahi, you big goof, stop it or I’m going to start crying again!”, Sugawara sniffled. </p><p>Daichi smiled. “You really care about this girl, huh? Well, my advice to you would be to make sure she is as comfortable as possible. If you feel like she isn’t ready, don’t force it, even though you wanna tell her. She may distance herself because she wants to test out the waters before she jumps in, but let her take her time. Also, if she feels the same way about you, please marry her because it’s a dream of mine to get drunk at your wedding!”</p><p>“Oh my God, yes! Moral of the story: Do this for us, OK?”, Sugawara added.</p><p>Asahi threw a pillow at Sugawara and laughed. “I knew you guys had an ulterior motive! I don’t know why I’m friends with you.” The boys shared a moment of laughter and savored the pure joy they were feeling in that moment. </p><p>It was getting late so Asahi decided to go to bed. He liked to go to bed early but his friends liked to stay up late. </p><p>“Is he asleep?”, Sugawara whispered. Daichi nodded his head. The two boys got up and grabbed some markers that were on Asahi’s desk. Daichi and Sugawara tried to make as little noise as possible while Asahi slept so they could draw on his face. When the boys were about to draw on their victim, Asahi grabbed their wrist and glared at them from the opening of his hair on his face. </p><p>“Go...to...bed!”, he growled.</p><p>“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. So, Like A Date?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Spring High Preliminary was here and excitement filled the air. The boys won their game against Ohgiminami and they had just won their match against Kakugawa. When the game was over, everyone walked outside to start heading home. Kiyoko was still inside checking if anyone forgot their stuff in the gym and while Hinata was walking, he realized he left his lunchbox inside and went to go get it. </p><p>“Hinata’s such an idiot! Now we have to wait for him to get his stupid cat-wrapped lunch box!”, Kageyama grumbled.</p><p>“A cat-wrapped lunch box? That’s soooo cute!”, you gushed.</p><p>“I told him to put it in his bag because I knew he would forget it.”, Tsukishima said. “Guess I was right.”</p><p>“Kiyoko’s still in there so we have to wait for her too.”, Coach Ukai said. “She should be out soon.”</p><p>A few minutes went by and there was no sign of Kiyoko or Hinata. “Kiyoko hasn’t come out yet”, Nishinoya noted.</p><p>“Should we go check on her?”, Tanaka asked. </p><p>While he said that, Hinata and Kiyoko came out of the building. Hinata escorted Kiyoko to where you all were standing and looked over his shoulder as if they were being followed. “What took you guys so long?”, Coach Ukai asked. </p><p>“I went inside to find Kiyoko and when I found her, two guys were hitting on her and wouldn’t let her leave.  One of them had blond hair and he was asking Kiyoko for her number and when she said no, he kept on asking. I tried to stop them, but he pushed me away and said he wasn’t finished with her. Then, I jumped in front of him and told him that she had to go and we left.”, Hinata explained. “I wish you guys were there! I was so scared!”, he said to Nishinoya and Tanaka.</p><p>Everyone went over to check if Kiyoko was OK and she assured the boys that she was fine. Tanaka and Nishinoya began plotting how to deal with their new target. “I’ll bring the rope and you’ll bring the gasoline”, the boys laughed maniacally. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I’m just as mad as everyone else but those two are on another level…</em> </b>
</p><p>“Well, I’m proud of you for bringing Kiyoko back to us safely!”, you said to Hinata. You pat him on the head and he smiled. “Oh, can I see your cat-wrapped lunch box?”</p><p>Hinata yelped in embarrassment at his cutely wrapped lunchbox. He hid the lunchbox behind his back and didn’t want to show you but you gave him puppy dog eyes so he gave in. </p><p>“SOOOOO CUUUTE!”, you yelled as you looked at the lunch box. Hinata blushed and quickly hid it behind his back again. “Put it in your bag so you don’t lose it!’</p><p>Hinata followed your orders and went inside the bus. The third-years walked towards the bus and you went to check on Kiyoko. She said she was fine but she obviously was shaken up by the encounter.</p><p>“Do you remember what team he is on, or specific things about him that you could remember?”, Daichi asked.</p><p>“He had on yellow and white pants, and he has his ears pierced. Oh, he also has a tongue piercing.”</p><p>“Sounds like he’s part of a gang!”, Asahi yelped, creating a terrifying image in his head. </p><p>“When I see this guy tomorrow, I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind!”, you shouted. You hated boys like that and the fact that one hit on Kiyoko angered you. You stormed off to the bus, sat in your seat, and planned out what you were going to say to the guy who hit on Kiyoko.</p><p>Kiyoko, Asahi, Daichi, and Sugawara were shocked at this side of you. They have seen you mad at Tsukishima but they have never seen you this angry. “Is anyone scared of Y/N right now? ,'' Asahi asked. Everyone nodded in agreement, fearing what you were going to do.</p><p>The next day, you and the volleyball team were back at the city gymnasium to continue playing in the Spring Interhigh Preliminary. Hinata started to run into the building but ended up running into the captain of Johzenji High. The boy pushed Hinata aside like he was a pest and looked at  Kiyoko. </p><p>“Hey Glasses, don’t forget to give me your number after I win, OK?”, he shouted. He waved at her and Kiyoko became visibly uncomfortable. “She’s so cute when she’s shy.”</p><p>
  <b> <em>SO THAT’S THE JERK WHO HIT ON KIYOKO!! BOY, I OUGHTA-</em> </b>
</p><p>Tanaka and Nishinoya sprinted over ready to kill him, but a girl wearing the school’s volleyball tracksuit stopped them. When you saw that their efforts failed, you decided to take matters into your own hands. </p><p>“Hey Metal Mouth, she clearly doesn’t want your number so why don’t you take a hint and leave her alone?”</p><p>Everyone looked at you in shock at the insult you called him. You said that you were going to give him a piece of your mind but they didn’t expect you to say that. </p><p>The captain stopped waving and sucked his teeth. “And what if I don’t? What are you gonna do about it?”</p><p>“I’ll show you what I’m gonna do about it-”, you mumbled while dropping your bag. Before you could walk over to him, Asahi walked in front of you in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. </p><p>“OK Y/n, um calm down…”, he stammered. </p><p>“Yeah, listen to the 20-year-old who’s still in high school!”</p><p>If that was gasoline, you were a fire that blew up due to that comment. Your blood started to boil and your right eye started to twitch. Asahi didn’t even get a chance to hear the comment because you pushed him out of the way and stormed off toward the boy who said it. </p><p>“LISTEN HERE TONGUE PIERCING, YOU EVER TALK ABOUT ASAHI LIKE THAT I WILL RIP THAT METAL THING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH AND MAKE YOU SWALLOW IT YOU HEAR ME?!? ALSO, YOU WON’T GET KIYOKO’S NUMBER WHEN YOU WIN BECAUSE  YOU WON'T AND SHE’S NOT INTO PEOPLE WHO USE LEMONADE TO DYE THEIR HAIR! NOW APOLOGIZE!”</p><p>He stared at you in shock like it was the first time someone has ever confronted him. The Karasuno boys ran up to you and Coach Ukai pulled you back by the arm. “Woah! That’s not even a threat, that’s just plain scary!”</p><p>The girl who stopped Tanaka and Nishinoya ran over and pushed the boy out of the way. “Terushima, stop it.”, she said. She bowed in front of you, apologizing for her teammate. “Ugh...I’m so sorry about that! Please forgive him!”</p><p>“I appreciate that, but you didn’t do anything, he did.”, you said, looking at Terushima. “I think you owe those two an apology. </p><p>Terushima sucked his teeth but when he saw the manager’s face, he gave in. </p><p>“Fine, OK. I’m sorry for what I said to both of you.”</p><p>“Thank you!”</p><p>After the altercation was over, Terushima and his team went inside and you finally calmed down from your rage-rampage. Asahi turned to you and began to thank you for standing up for him.</p><p>“Thanks for standing up for me, Y/N. You didn’t have to do that-”</p><p>“Kiyoko are you OK?” You passed Asahi and went to go check on Kiyoko. “I’m sorry I got so angry but I couldn’t let him talk to you like that!”</p><p>“Thank you, Y/N. I’m fine.” Kiyoko hugged you and you were glad she was feeling better. </p><p>“Metal Mouth...good one…”, Tsukishima snickered. </p><p>“Yeah, I thought of that insult on the way here”, you smirked. </p><p>Daichi and Sugawara laughed at how you skipped over Asahi and you remembered that he was thanking you for standing up for him.</p><p>“Oh, Asahi are you OK?’, you asked. </p><p>“I’m fine...I didn’t even know he said anything but it doesn’t matter anyway...”</p><p>“OK, now we HAVE to win against them.”, Daichi said. “For Kiyoko!”</p><p>“FOR KIYOKO!”, you all yelled. Kiyoko blushed at the chant and laughed. Everyone started to walk inside the gym and Tanaka and Nishinoya stopped Kiyoko at the door before she went in.</p><p>“WE FAILED AT PROTECTING YOU! PLEASE PUNISH US, KIYOKO!”</p><p>Kiyoko walked inside, ignoring the boys. “Aw, merciful Kiyoko! She is too kind!”, Tanaka said. Nishinoya nodded his head and the boys ran inside to catch up to the rest of the team. </p><p>- - - </p><p>“You guys did it!”</p><p>“Yeah!” Tanaka and Nishinoya jumped up giving you jumping high-fives. </p><p>“Yay! Yay!”, you all shouted, celebrating the win against Johzenji High. You congratulated all the other boys on their win and Coach Ukai went over the play for the next game. </p><p>“Let’s go, guys!”, Daichi said with a determined look on his face. Everyone huddled together and put their hand in the middle. “Karasuno, fight!”</p><p>“YEAH!”</p><p>The next day the boys had a match against Wakutani South High. The game was going well and it was a battle of the captains until Daichi got hurt while diving for the ball. Tanaka, who had collided with him, hovered over Daichi to make sure he was ok. “Daichi...Hey Daichi, you OK?” </p><p>The gym fell silent, waiting to see if Daichi was alright. The game had paused and the boys on the court went to go check on the captain. Kiyoko helped Daichi up and he had a bruise on his left cheek. He hit his head pretty hard so he was a little lightheaded but he tried to shake it off and go back on the court. Unfortunately, blood started dripping from his mouth and he was forced to go to the infirmary. Since Kiyoko had the scoring sheet, you took Daichi to the infirmary. When you got to the room, you helped him sit on the table and a man took a look at Daichi.</p><p>“Looks you hit your head pretty hard, but there seems to be no severe damage, but you do seem woozy and you lost some blood, so I suggest you sit out for a little bit until you feel better.”</p><p>Daichi looked disappointed that he had to sit out for a little bit but accepted his fate. The man gave Daichi an ice-pack and left the room to go see another injured player. You got Daichi his water bottle and he took a sip from it, wincing in pain from the bruise on his cheek. </p><p>“I don’t know if you heard but Tanaka said he was sorry. He probably was so caught up in the game that he didn’t see you and you guys accidentally bumped heads.”, you said. </p><p>Daichi smiled a bit, pressing the ice-pack harder on his face. “Yeah, I know...He’s such a hard head sometimes...literally!”</p><p>The two of you laughed at the joke, making light of Daichi’s injury. “Yeah but it sucks that I can’t play. We were about to win the first set, but I think I should rest for a bit. Ughh, my head is spinning.” He laid down on the table and sighed. “But I’m happy I’m with you because I have to talk to you about something...”</p><p>“What...do you have to talk to me about?”, you questioned.</p><p>“I know you have feelings for Asahi.”</p><p>“Wow, you hit your head pretty hard, man! I think we should take you to the hospital!”, you nervously laughed, standing up to walk out the door. “Where’d that guy go? I’ll tell him to call you an ambulance.”</p><p>“Ah ah ah, where do you think you’re going? I’m not done with you yet.”, Daichi said, sitting up on the table. You slowly turned around and grinned awkwardly. You were trying to avoid another person questioning you about your feelings for Asahi. </p><p>“Sit down, you’re not going anywhere young lady!”</p><p>You shuffle your feet over to the chair you were sitting in and sat back down.</p><p>
  <b> <em>For a person whose mouth is hurting them, he sure is chatty…</em> </b>
</p><p>“You know I’m not going to beat around the bush with this, I’ll leave that job for you”, Daichi said. You scoffed in offense because Daichi pointed out your habit of not getting to the point. “You like Asahi, and it’s so obvious to the point where I could build a case against you.”</p><p>“Well hey, you got me!”, you joked. “I mean yeah I do, but I don’t need you meddling in my business. I wanna figure it out by myself.”</p><p>“I totally respect that. I already told Suga not to do anything more than he has done already-”, he said. You tilted your head, questioning what Daichi just said and he realized he said too much. “I mean he hasn’t done anything drastic.”</p><p>“Honestly I figured Suga would drag you into something.”, you said. “So you, Suga, Tsukishima, Noya, Tanaka, and Kiyoko know about this, I mean those are the ones who have confronted me about it...I’m surprised Asahi hasn’t said anything to me yet.”</p><p>“Asahi is oblivious honestly. Before you came, any girl Asahi tried to speak to would just scream and run away, but you’re the first one to develop a liking for him so I think he just doesn’t know what a girl having feelings for him looks like. He’s a great guy with a good heart and I honestly think that you should go on a date with him...like I know you guys hang out all the time, but you should do something special for him. If you can’t tell him how you feel, show him.”</p><p>You listened to Daichi and appreciated him for the advice he gave you. “Thank you O’ Wise One, the advice is much appreciated.” Daichi laughed and said it was no problem. You stood up from the chair and pat Daichi on the shoulder. “Well, I’m gonna go tell everyone that you’re OK and get you more water. I’ll be right back.”</p><p>“Ok, I won’t go anywhere”, Daichi said while you walked to the door. “But hey, if Asahi and you start dating, that means we can’t flirt anymore...what am I gonna do with myself?”</p><p>You swung outside the room and hid behind the door frame so Daichi could only see your head. “You’ll figure something out!”, you smiled.</p><p>You continued walking to the gym and Daichi smirked at your comment. “I can’t wait to see how those two will get together…”</p><p>When you entered the gym, you told the team that Daichi was OK and everyone was relieved. You sat down on the bench and took over the scoring so Kiyoko could have a break. She went to go check on Daichi and a few minutes later, Karasuno had won the match. The boys rejoiced in their win and started packing up for the day. Just as they finished, the match between Date Tech and Aoba Johsai had started. This match would determine who they would play next, so they made their way to the stands to watch. Daichi was feeling better, so he and Kiyoko rejoined everyone in the stands.</p><p>The team and you sat and watched the game, reading the plays of the possible opponents the boys would have to defeat. Date Tech put up a good fight in the last set but Hajime Iwaizumi, the ace of Aoba Johsai, broke through the “Iron Wall” and scored the winning point for his team. The Karasuno boys at that moment realized that they got what they wished for. </p><p>“Looks like we got ourselves a rematch, boys!”, Coach Ukai said. Everyone nodded their heads, confirming this time they were going to win against their opponent. Once the match was over, the boys started heading down to the court and began their drills. Once they were done, the starting boys went on the court and the captains shook hands. </p><p>“This is going to be like last time, so we can just call it right now...”, the captain of the opposing team, Toru Oikawa, gloated. </p><p>“You know, you shouldn’t call your victories so soon...You might jinx yourself.”, Daichi glared, squeezing Oikawa's hand a little. </p><p>You could feel the tension rise as Oikawa prepared himself to serve. Kiyoko and you watched from the bench and could see that the Karasuno boys were radiating with determination. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Do your best...just do your best…</em> </b>
</p><p>During the game, the boys fixed a lot of the mistakes they had made since they faced Aoba Johsai and had an easier time dealing with their opponent. Karasuno won the first set but when a new player named “Mad Dog” was added to the mix, they fell behind during the second set. "Mad Dog" was a double-edged sword, so Sugawara targeted him to make sure he didn’t kill them with his spikes. Yamaguchi’s serves caught Aoba Johsai off guard and he scored so much that he brought the score to match point. There was a bit of a volley between the teams but Aoba Johsai won the second set.</p><p>During the third set, your heart was in your mouth the whole time. Tanaka got into Mad Dog’s head to the point where he had to be taken out to calm down and refocus. The boys used this to their advantage and climbed up in points, taking the lead in the beginning. This was all shot down when Oikawa’s serves brought the game to match point, his team at 24, Karasuno at 22. Daichi, Sugawara, and Kageyama stepped up and stopped Oikawa’s plans, bringing the score to match point. There was a long volley that made it feel like the game was never going to end, but when the ball came to Hinata, you had a feeling that the game was about to come to a close.</p><p>“HINATA, IT’S ALL YOU!”, Daichi yelled.</p><p>Hinata swung at the ball with everything he had and waited for the result. Oikawa tried to receive the ball but it ended up rolling off his arm, winning the match for Karasuno. Everyone was shocked that Aoba Johsai lost, even Karasuno. The boys cheered and ran to Hinata, congratulating him for the winning point. The teams shook hands with each other and you noticed that Kageyama and Oikawa were having a moment with each other. When he finished and came over, you asked him what that was about.</p><p>“I used to go to school with him and he told me that I couldn’t be “King of the Court” unless I beat him in a game...I guess today is that day!”, Kageyama grinned.</p><p>“Hell yeah, you were amazing Kageyama!”, Hinata said, barging into your conversation.</p><p>Kageyama blushed at Hinata’s praise. “Why are you congratulating me? You’re the one who made the winning score.”</p><p>“Oh yeah, you’re right. I did!”, Hinata said, smiling from ear to ear.</p><p>You picked Hinata up and smiled. “Yeah you did, I’m so proud of you Shoyo!” You put Hinata down and he giggled. He got a head rush from being tossed up in the air and started blinking rapidly to refocus his eyesight. </p><p>You and Kiyoko congratulated the rest of the boys and they thanked you for supporting them through practice and during their games. You guys were done with the Qualifiers, so that meant the boys were now in the Finals. The boys were now going to face Shiratorizawa Academy and Hinata was extremely excited because he swore to the captain, Wakatoshi Ushijima, that he would beat him. When you guys got back to school, a bunch of students were waiting to congratulate the boys. Cheering and clapping echoed from the building as everyone looked down at their champions.</p><p>“Good job, guys!” “Congrats on going to Finals!” “Yeah!” “You better win in the Finals!”</p><p>“Good job Hinata!” Hinata smiled at his friends from his homeroom.</p><p>“Good job, Kageyama! Good job, Yamaguchi!!” Kageyama and Yamaguchi thanked the students then hid their faces. </p><p>“Good job, Suga! Good job, Daichi!” Daichi and Sugawara waved at their friends from their chemistry class.</p><p>As the students continued congratulating the boys, you didn’t hear anyone congratulating Asahi. You looked over to him and saw that he had a disappointed look on his face like he was waiting for someone to notice him.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Oh no, Asahi is getting some praise, he did amazing today…</em> </b>
</p><p>“HEYY!” All the students paused from cheering to focus their attention on you. You pointed at Asahi and yelled, “WHAT ABOUT HIM?”</p><p>The students went from total silence to an uproar of cheers. They were clapping and screaming his name and Asahi’s face lit up as he watched all the students congratulate him. He looked at you with tears in his eyes and you grabbed his hand as a form of comfort.</p><p>“You did amazing today”, you whispered. Asahi smiled and squeezed your hand. Normally the two of you would be blushing messes around each other, but at this moment, the two of you shared a pure moment of bliss. </p><p>While the first and second years went inside the gym to play some more volleyball, you and the third-years stayed outside and talked about  the Finals. </p><p>“We just came from a game and they are playing more volleyball?!? Aren’t they tired?”</p><p>“They’re just excited to play in the Finals. They did the same thing when they were first-years”, Kiyoko said. Daichi, Sugawara, and Asahi tried to defend the actions of their first-year selves. </p><p>“I mean we were just excited to get back in the game so as soon as we got back to school, we played volleyball until we got kicked out.”, Sugawara explained. “Oh wow, that was so long ago! Asahi’s hair was short, he couldn’t even put it in a bun so he just wore his white headband.”</p><p>“Oh my God, that was so long ago!”, Asahi said. “You know Suga used to call me Ashley because he said I looked like a girl. He even said it out loud a few times!” </p><p>Everyone laughed at the memories. “I mean you would be a pretty girl, Asahi...I would date you…”</p><p>“Thank you...Daichi...I’ll take that as a compliment”, Asahi said nervously.</p><p>“Daichi, I didn’t know you liked Asahi”, a voice behind Daichi said.</p><p>Daichi turned around to see three girls walking towards him. “Oh, hey Michimiya”, Daichi said to the girl with short, dark brown hair. </p><p> “Aah, I was kidding about you liking Asahi by the way...anyway um...they announced on the school announcements that you guys are going to the Finals tomorrow. That’s amazing! Congratulations!”</p><p>“Thank you!”, Daichi, Sugawara and Asahi said. </p><p>“Oh, let me introduce you to our new manager Y/N.”, Daichi said. “Y/N, this is my good friend Yui Michimiya.”</p><p>“So you're the transfer student I have been hearing all about! It’s nice to meet you!”, she said while giving you a big smile. “It’s nice to meet you, too”, you responded.</p><p>“You’re also looking at the captain of Karasuno’s Girls Volleyball Team”, Daichi said, putting his hand on her shoulder. </p><p>“Daichi you don’t have to flaunt it around like that!”, she blushed. “I’m sorry I didn’t say that before, but yes I am. These are some of my teammates!”, she said, pointing to the two girls who were with her. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Somebodyyyy has a crush on Daichiiiii…</em> </b>
</p><p>The two girls introduced themselves and you told them you were happy to meet them. Coach Ukai called a meeting so you and the third-years started to walk inside the gym. You walked into the gym before Daichi and when he walked inside, you stared at him with a “mmhmm” look on your face.</p><p>“What?” Daichi said, confused at what was the matter.</p><p>“Nothing…”, you said. Daichi walked past you in confusion and took a seat on the floor with the rest of the boys. </p><p>“How can he say my crush for Asahi is so obvious but not that girl’s crush she has for him…you know what, whatever", you say to yourself as you walk over to sit next to Kiyoko.</p><p>During the meeting, Coach Ukai explained how if the boys won the game tomorrow against Shiratorizowa, they would go to nationals. He mentioned that no one thinks they would win because not even Aoba Johsai can beat them. They were at the top of the prefecture and they are undefeated champions, so it was going to be a tough game tomorrow. </p><p>“It’s not a fluke that they are at the top of the prefecture, they are just that great.”</p><p>“It doesn’t matter!”, Hinata yelled. </p><p>“Don’t talk to the coach like that!”, Daichi scolded. Hinata realized he said that out loud and apologized. “I didn’t mean it like that...I was just saying like...no one thought that we were going to win today and we did, so it doesn’t matter that they are great, we are going to beat them and go to nationals!” </p><p>Hinata stood up and clenched his fist. “Let’s turn the tables on them tomorrow and win!”</p><p>All the boys, Kiyoko, and you stood up and yelled, “Yeah!!”</p><p>“Let’s win tomorrow and go to Nationals!", Takeda said.</p><p>“Yeah!”</p><p>Coach Ukai smiled at the passionate boys in the gym. “Alright! Now get home and go to bed so you aren’t tired tomorrow.” </p><p>- - - </p><p><b> <em>Asahi: </em> </b>I can’t believe we’re going to the Finals! </p><p><b> <em>You:</em> </b> Yeah, today was so crazy but I’m proud of you guys. Y'all did really good today</p><p><b> <em>Asahi:</em> </b> Thank you :)</p><p><b> <em>You:</em> </b> No problem.</p><p><b> <em>You:</em> </b> Question? Are your parents home?</p><p><b> <em>Asahi:</em> </b> No, they are both working late. Why?</p><p><b> <em>You: </em> </b>OK good! I’ll be there in 5! </p><p>After sending the text, you got up from your bed and walked to the kitchen. Your mom came home from work but had to leave the house again so she left you with some food in case you got hungry. Since you were going to Asahi’s house, you decided to take the food with you so you could eat your dinner there. You put on your shoes and walked to Asahi’s house, getting butterflies with every step you took.</p><p>
  <b> <em>I hope he forgives me for showing up unannounced like this...well at least I brought food.</em> </b>
</p><p>When you turned onto his block, you could see Asahi sitting on his front steps waiting for you. When he saw you in the distance, he opened his front gate for you to come in. </p><p>“Why are you sitting out here?”, you asked as you reached his house.</p><p>“You said you would be here in 5 and 10 mins passed by and you didn’t text back, so I was just sitting outside enjoying the breeze while I waited for you.”</p><p>“I’m sorry, I should've texted you back, but I have a surprise for you!”, you said while walking inside. You took off your shoes and set the bag of food on the kitchen counter. </p><p>Asahi closed the door behind you and took off his shoes. He sniffed the air due to an aroma that filled the kitchen. “What’d you got there?”</p><p>“Remember when we ate at the ramen shop with Daichi, Suga, and Kiyoko a while back and when we were walking home we promised to have a day where we try each other's favorite foods? Well, I thought that today should be that day!”</p><p>You started taking out the food from the bag. “My mom found this Italian place and she came home and brought me food and I thought I should come over and you could try it...Oh and also we can celebrate today’s win because you deserve it! I’m glad she bought pasta because it’s good to eat carbs before a big game.” </p><p>Asahi started to blush and you started getting nervous. You remembered what Daichi said about doing something special for him and you were trying to do that but also not be a nervous wreck at the same time. </p><p>“I mean like I wanted to do something special for you..like you're going to the Finals...and I know we always hang out together but I just wanted to hang out with you in a <em> different </em> way, you know?”</p><p>“I-in a <em> different </em> way…so...like a date?!?”, Asahi stuttered. </p><p>Your hands started getting sweaty so you aggressively wiped them on your pants. “I mean- I mean yeaaaahhh, if you want to call it that, you don’t have to...but I would like it to be that? I don’t know you know what I was kidding forget I ever said anything-”</p><p>Asahi watched as you started to spiral and he walked over to you. “No I- I want to hang out with you in a different way, too...l-like a date. The date is right now, is it?!?”, he asked. You shook your head "yes" and he gulped. “So, we’re on a date...right now...I’m on a date with you...oh my God!”</p><p>You both nervously laughed and you opened the containers of food, letting the smells of Italy roam around the room. “We should eat this before it gets cold.”</p><p>Asahi cleared his throat. “Yes-yes, we should eat it before it gets cold.”</p><p>You and Asahi ate pizza, chicken alfredo, and garlic knots. You watched as Asahi’s eyes widened every time he took a bite. It was his first time eating Italian food and he loved every moment of it. When you guys finished eating, he sat back in his chair in amazement.</p><p>“Y/N that was so good! Oh my goodness, so you said that you eat this a lot back home?”</p><p>“Yeah, I love it because it can never get old. My mom will make pasta every week and I will still gobble it down like it was the first time I have ever eaten it. Also in New York, you can get a slice of pizza for a dollar.”</p><p>“Just a dollar! Wow, that sounds so cool! I have to go to New York one of these days”, Asahi said with excitement. </p><p>“Yeah, you should. There’s also a place called Little Italy where you can find Italian shops as far as the eye can see. I really do miss New York, maybe one day I’ll show you around.”</p><p>“Yeah, that would be cool!”, Asahi smiled. As you got lost in his adorable smile, you were brought back to reality because the smile had left his face. </p><p>“Oh jeez, I didn’t know you were coming so I don’t have anything for you to eat.”, Asahi panicked. “You know what, I’ll make it for you!”</p><p>Asahi started cleaning up the table and threw the empty containers in the trash. Asahi was now pacing the kitchen, looking for ingredients to make his favorite food for you. You told him he didn’t have to cook for you but he was too busy looking for broth in his fridge, so he didn’t hear what you said.</p><p>“Asahi, I just ate! Seriously you don’t have to cook for me, it's fine. Also, we’re supposed to be celebrating you right now, so you can make me your favorite food another da-”</p><p>Asahi slammed down an empty pot on the kitchen counter. It made a loud bang and you were startled by it. “I wanna do this! We’re on a date and I want to make...you something...also we’re in my house and I have time so why not?”</p><p>You smiled and laughed. “Ok, ok, fine! You can cook for me. I just feel bad because I bought you food and you’re gonna make me food that was handcrafted with love-”</p><p>Asahi washed his hands in the sink and dried them with a towel. “It’s OK really, it’s the least I can do. You made me breakfast once, so now I’ll make you dinner!”</p><p>You accepted the fact that Asahi wasn’t budging and let him cook for you. When he got all the ingredients, he paused for a moment, trying to remember how to start the process.</p><p>“I wish my mom was here...she knows how to make this way better than I can. I don’t know if mine will be as good as hers but I will try!”, Asahi mumbled to himself. </p><p>
  <b> <em>That is so cuuuute...gotta love a boy who loves his mama…</em> </b>
</p><p>You watched as Asahi prepared the food for you. You sat in awe as you watched him roll up his sleeves and get to work. When he had finished cooking, he placed everything in a bowl and handed it to you. He grabbed the table with his forearms facing up and leaned forward. “This is tonkotsu ramen. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think…”</p><p>You thanked him for the food and while you were eating, you couldn’t help but stare at Asahi’s forearm that was exposed due to his sleeve being rolled up. You didn’t know why but you were extremely attracted to it. </p><p>
  <b> <em>KAJSJIJAIDNJSANKN...he’s hot and he can cook?!?... like I can’t take it…and the rolled up sleeves...he’s gotta be doing it on purpose now…but this ramen is really good!</em> </b>
</p><p>“Mmh Asahi, this is really good!”, you exclaimed. Asahi smiled and you devoured it in front of him. When you finished the food, you washed your bowl and put it on the dishrack. </p><p>“Wanna mint?”, you asked, pulling out some Ice Breakers.</p><p>“Yes, thank you”, Asahi said, taking one and putting it in his mouth. As you sucked on a mint, you expressed how much you loved Asahi’s cooking.</p><p>“Honestly, if that bowl of ramen was a person, I would marry it!”</p><p>“Marry? You’re not gonna get to know him first? You barely know the guy!”, Asahi joked.</p><p>“I mean when you really like something, you have to just go for it, right?” You looked at Asahi and found he was staring at you. He was close enough to you that you could smell his minty breath bounce of your face.</p><p>“Your breath smells really good!”, you said, inching closer to him to get a sniff. </p><p>“Y-yeah, I guess the mint is working”, he said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “But, what you said about liking something and going for it...I-I think you are right, don’t you agree?”</p><p>Asahi stared down at the ground and began to get closer to you. You backed up, frightened at how forward he was all of a sudden. You bumped into the kitchen counter, alerting you that you couldn’t back up anymore. You thought he was playing a joke on you but you could tell that he was being serious at that moment. You looked into his eyes and you felt a sense of longing. Asahi had been trying to control himself around  you because he wanted you to feel comfortable around him, but he lost himself while enjoying your company and he had to do something and something fast. You were also longing to be that close to Asahi and along with his minty breath, his cologne that you loved seeped into your nostrils, and you were intoxicated by Asahi’s scent. You both laughed to fill the awkward silence due to the fact that the both of you were close together but nothing was happening. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Is he...is he gonna…</em> </b>
</p><p>You could hear Asahi’s breath tremble at the same tempo as yours and your hand started to wander up the side of his arm. You couldn’t help it, it was in the heat of the moment. A part of you wanted to play this out as long as possible, but a part of you wanted him to passionately kiss you like they do in the movies.</p><p>Just before the anticipation became unbearable, you felt Asahi go from tense to relaxed and he smiled at you. He grabbed the counter you were leaning against and leaned in to kiss you. This shocked you because Asahi wasn’t the type of guy to make the first move but you were happy it was finally happening. Everything was going good as you leaned in to kiss him but the moment was ruined by a thought that popped into your head. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I DIDN’T EVEN WANT TO KISS YOU!! YOU WERE HOPELESSLY WAITING FOR ME TO KISS YOU SO I DID...YOU GOT YOUR KISS, I GOT TO SMASH...WE BOTH GOT WHAT WE WANTED… </em> </b>
</p><p>Just as your lips were about to touch Asahi’s, you ducked and slid underneath his arm. Asahi fell forward and looked behind him to see you standing there with tears streaming down your face. You started laughing and crying in hysterics and the emotions were so unbearable that you couldn’t even look Asahi in the eye. This was the first time Asahi has seen you cry and it broke his heart because he felt like he was the reason for your breakdown. </p><p>“I am so sorry I shouldn’t have done that I was out of line and-”, Asahi rambled. He continued to apologize and when he started walking towards you, you started stepping away from him. </p><p>“No haha, it’s OK it’s fine haha, don’t worry about it.”, you said, trying to laugh so you wouldn’t cry. “Oh wow, well I...this was fun...thank you for the food but um...I think...I think imma go home now…” You walked briskly to the door and started putting on your shoes. Asahi followed you to the door and you tried to put on your shoes but they were laced too tight so your foot wouldn’t go in.</p><p>“Was it something that I did?!? Something I said?!? Tell me Y/N, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have tried to kis-”</p><p>“Asahi you didn’t do anything wrong! I actually should go because I didn’t tell my mom I was coming over here and it’s getting late and she should be...home..right..now…”, you said while frantically jamming your foot into your shoe. You fumbled with your shoes a little more until you decided to carry them in your hand.</p><p>“You know what I shouldn’t have come over we have a game tomorrow and you need to get some sleep so Goodnight I’ll see you tomorrow and yeah bye!”, you shouted while swinging the front door open and running out, shoes in hand. </p><p>Asahi chased after you in an attempt to bring you back inside. “What do you mean you wish you never came hey- Hey! Y/N!”, he shouted as he watched you open the gate and run down the street. “Y/N come back! I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”, Asahi yelled, cracking his voice as tears formed in his eyes. </p><p>He slammed the gate and plopped down on his front steps. “Of course you had to mess everything up! Nice going, Asahi!”</p><p>You ran and ran as you cried hysterically. The tears were hot and gathered together on your eyelashes so much, you thought you were underwater. You wiped the tears from your eyes and ran home as fast as you could while having a mental conversation about the thought in your head that ruined everything. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Why did that pop into my head?... I was about to kiss Asahi and I messed everything up! I’ve been waiting for this moment for such a long time and when it finally happened, I freaked out and ran away. Why do I feel the need to sabotage everything good in my life? I feel like a horrible person...I made Asahi feel like he violated me when he is the politest boy I have ever met. I told him it’s not his fault but you know how he is...why...why can’t I just be normal...why do I have to get into my head about everything...I made him feel the same way he did when all those girls would run away from him and treat him like he’s some kind of monster. He doesn’t deserve me, I don’t even deserve to be his friend...I’m a horrible person…</em> </b>
</p><p>The next morning, Asahi got up and started getting ready for the day. His mind was still replaying the events of the previous night so he wasn’t in the best of moods. He put on his uniform, grabbed his breakfast, and headed out the door. He hesitated if he should go knock on your door because he felt like you didn’t wanna talk to him, but he ended up knocking on the door anyway. He prepared himself to apologize to you for the four hundredth time when you opened the door but the only person he saw was your mom. </p><p>“Hey, buddy! Why are you still here? I thought you and Y/N were already gone.”, your mom said.</p><p>“Wait...Y/N’s not here?”, Asahi asked. </p><p>“No, she left five minutes ago. She said that she needed to leave early because she had to meet with Kiyoko and go over scoring or something like that”, your mom answered. “I’m surprised she left without you, you guys always walk to school together!” </p><p>Asahi stood on the steps in disbelief that you left without him. “Oh wait I’m sorry, she is right. We had to be there early so I guess I overslept, I’m sorry to bother you, Ms. Y/N”, Asahi said, looking at the time on his phone to make his cover story believable. “Well thank you anyway and have a good day at work!”, Asahi said while walking away from your house. </p><p>“Bye honey, do your best during the game today!” Your mom went back into the house and locked the door. “She left without Asahi?!? Nope...somethings up…”</p><p>Asahi began walking what felt like a long journey to school because you weren’t with him. He tried his best to keep a positive attitude as he reached closer to the school so that his rainy parade wouldn’t rub off on anyone else. As he dragged along the roads of Miyagi, he had the constant thought that his actions may have destroyed his chances with you and more importantly his friendship with the volleyball manager that transferred from New York.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Tell Me What's Wrong!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Good morning guys!”, you said as you walked on the bus. Everyone said good morning to you and you sat down next to Kiyoko. Chatter filled the bus as the boys were excited for the match against Shiratorizawa. As everyone conversed with each other, you found yourself muffling out the noise around you. What happened last night was like a fresh cut and you kept on picking at it. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I can’t believe I cried in front of him, that’s so embarrassing...I want him to focus on the game today...he needs to focus on the game today, not what happened last night…</em> </b>
</p><p>“Y/N are you OK? You don’t look so good…”, Kiyoko asked. </p><p>You stopped freaking out in your head and looked at your friend and smiled. “Oh me? I’m fine, I promise.”</p><p>Daichi and Sugawara walked on the bus and greeted everyone. When they walked down the rows, they decided to sit in front of you and Kiyoko. “Good Morning, ladies!”, Daichi said. </p><p>“Goodmorning!”, you two responded.</p><p>Sugawara looked around and realized that you were here but Asahi wasn’t. “Hey, where’s Asahi? You two always come to school together…”</p><p>“Yeah, is he sick?”, Daichi added. “He didn’t text me or anything...is he OK?”</p><p>You sat there in silence because the truth of why you came to school by yourself was too much to bear. Just as Daichi was about to call Asahi on his phone, the missing person stepped on the bus. “Hey Asahi, I was just about to call you…”</p><p>Asahi walked on the bus and his face looked like he just attended a funeral. His head was hung down so when Daichi said his name, he popped his head up and changed his facial expression to a happy one. “Good morning! Sorry I’m late, I had to stop somewhere before I came.”</p><p>Asahi darted his eyes from you and you sank even deeper into your seat. He sat down in one of the single-seats on the bus and took a sip from his water bottle. </p><p>
  <b>Now I feel even more like an asshole for walking by myself to school…</b>
</p><p>Daichi and Sugawara knew their friend well enough to know that something was wrong. “Asahi are you OK?” “Yeah dude, are you feeling OK?”</p><p>“I’m fine…”, he said with a serious look on his face. </p><p>“Did you cry in your sleep again, because so did I-”, Daichi said. Asahi put in his headphones and dismissed Daichi’s question. Daichi and Sugawara took the hint and left Asahi alone but made a mental note that something happened to their friend last night.</p><p>During the whole bus ride, you looked over at Asahi, waiting for him to talk to you. You felt bad for not walking with him to school this morning but didn’t expect him not to talk to you. At that moment, you assumed that Asahi was mad at you for dismissing his advances last night and ditching him this morning, so you were going to act accordingly.</p><p>
  <b> <em>I feel bad for freaking out, running away, and ditching him, but he has no right to give me the silent treatment! You know what? I’m probably overreacting… </em> </b>
</p><p>The bus finally made it to the Sendai City Gymnasium. The boys were filled with excitement as they re-entered the gym. There were a lot of people in the stands, including Tanaka’s sister Saeko, the Neighbourhood Association, and some students from Karasuno. The boys got themselves ready for the game and you noticed that Daichi was admiring a good luck charm Michimiya gave him. Sugawara and you crept up behind him and decided to tease him for his gift he got from his “good friend”.</p><p>“Ooh, did Michimiya give you that?”, the two of you teased.</p><p>Daichi turned around and glared at you and Sugawara with fire in his eyes. “Sugawara go get ready!...You really wanna go there, Y/N?”</p><p>The two of you yelped at the scary look Daichi gave you and hurried away to where you needed to be. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I know Daichi is tired of me...Jesus, he is so scary when he’s mad.</em> </b>
</p><p>Before the game started, the players of each team were given an introduction. During Shiratorizawa’s introduction, Wakatoshi Ushijima, Eita Semi, and Satori Tendo got an uproar of cheers. They were the star players on the team so the boys made sure to keep their eyes on them. After their introductions, Coach Ukai, Kiyoko, Takeda, and you lined up to give the team high fives as they walked on the court. </p><p>The boys high-fived each of you and ran onto the court. The speaker called Asahi’s name and he ran to high five Coach Ukai and Takeda. When he finished high fiving Kiyoko, you expected him to skip over you, but he high-fived you and ran on the court. Asahi then proceeded to draw something on the palm of his hand and pretend to eat it. You were confused at why he high-fived you since he didn't speak to you all day but brushed it aside as the long-anticipated game was about to start. </p><p>- - -  </p><p>It was the last set and it was down to the wire. Shiratorizawa won the first and third set and Karasuno had won the first and fourth; it all came down to the last and final set. Tensions were high and you couldn’t bear to watch but at the same time had your eyes peeled on the game. You watched as Asahi and Tskuishima blocked the ball and the other team kept putting it back into play.</p><p>“C’mon guys, you got this!”, Coach Ukai shouted. Hinata backed up from his spot on the court and waited for Kayegama’s signal. You were confused at why he did that but paid it no mind. As Kageyama set the ball, everyone ran up to the net so Hinata would mix in and he spiked the ball, scoring the winning point. One of the boys on the opposing team tried to receive the ball but it bounced off his arm and the ball went out of bounce. When the ball hit the floor, the gym fell into silence. It was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. The referee blew the whistle twice and pointed to Karasuno, indicating that the match was over and they won. </p><p>“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!” </p><p>Everyone was screaming at the top of their lungs because Karasuno had won against Shiratorizawa. The kids from school who came to see Karasuno play jumped up in joy and Saeko cheered for her little brother. Shiratoizawa was in disbelief that the “Wingless Crows” had beat them and Ushijima couldn’t believe that Hinata kept his promise. Daichi, in complete shock, stumbled over to Asahi and pulled him in. He grabbed Asahi’s back and leaned his head on his shoulder. Sugawara grabbed on to Asahi as well and the boys screamed and cried because they couldn’t believe they won. The first and second years jumped on Hinata and Tsukishima and congratulated them on how well they did in the game. Coach Ukai, Takeda, Kiyoko and you all watched with tears streaming down your faces. You were so proud of the boys because their hard work had finally paid off and they were going to Nationals. </p><p>While everyone was crying and hugging each other, you looked at Asahi and saw how happy he was. You were so proud of him and how far he had come and you walked over to congratulate him. Just as you were almost to him, you came to a halt and your body froze. You had put what happened last night behind you but it found its way to creep back up and ruin the joyful moment. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I shouldn’t go over there. Look how happy he is...I would only ruin the moment. I want him to have this moment...he deserves it...he deserves the world…</em> </b>
</p><p>The boys came down from the rush of adrenaline and started to pack up their things to head home. Asahi came over to the bench to pack his bag and looked for you but you were nowhere to be found.</p><p>“Wait, where’s Y/N?”, he asked.</p><p>“Oh, her mom called and she had to go home early to help her out”, Coach Ukai answered. “Hinata, this is the second time you have scored the winning point! I need to start betting money on you!”, he said while putting Hinata in a headlock.</p><p>Asahi became worried and put on his jumpsuit in a panic. He grabbed his stuff and ran out of the gym, searching the halls of the gymnasium for you. </p><p>“Asahi, wait up!”, Nishinoya called out. “I told him I want the window seat this time!”</p><p>Asahi ran outside and looked for you. When he didn’t see you, he picked up his phone and dialed your number. It rang and rang and rang until it went to voicemail. </p><p>“Hi, this is Y/N. I’m sorry I didn’t get your call, I swear I’m busy, I’m not just blowing you off. Just leave your name and number and I’ll call you right back!”</p><p>He hung up the phone and called again, tapping his foot rapidly while he waited for you to answer. He called again and again but there was no answer. </p><p>“Y/N, where are you?”</p><p>
  <b> <em>Why is he calling me...? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me…</em> </b>
</p><p>You sat on your bed and watched your phone ring with tears streaming down your face. You felt like you were going to ruin Asahi’s victorious day if you were there so you decided to leave. As the phone rang for the fifth time, you looked at the name you had Asahi’s number under: Mr. Ace with a volleyball emoji next to it. You had Asahi’s name like that on your phone because that’s the nickname you gave him when you guys first met. You silenced your phone and turned it over, wiping the hot tears from your face and thinking about how things had come to this. </p><p>You felt bad for lying to Coach Ukai but you needed to get out of there because you hated crying in front of people. You already cried in front of Asahi and that was embarrassing enough, so you slipped away amongst the crowd and walked home. You ditched Asahi for the second time today and you felt like the worst friend in the world. You didn't think Asahi wanted to see your face again and the thought of that made your heart ache. As you curled up into a ball, you sobbed heavily at the hurt you were experiencing and wished you never had feelings for the Ace of the volleyball team. </p><p>- - -</p><p>♫♪  I thought that I was dreamin'</p><p>When you said you love me</p><p>The start of nothin'</p><p>I had no chance to prepare</p><p>I couldn't see you comin'  ♪ ♫</p><p>You listen to the lyrics of Frank Ocean’s Ivy as you sat on the roof and watch the sunset. You were happy you had the house to yourself because you wanted to be alone right now. The roof was another safe place in your house and when you were stressed out, you went up there to take a breather. Your eyes were stained red because you had cried so much and a numb feeling flowed throughout your body. You had no more tears to cry but your eyes throbbed, begging you to let more out. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I can’t keep doing this to myself...I shouldn’t be crying, I’m the one who distanced myself from him...I’m sorry Asahi, but at least you're happy now…</em> </b>
</p><p>“I hope she’s home, if not, I have to call the police”, Asahi said to himself. After the win, Coach Ukai took the boys out to eat at a restaurant near school. Asahi couldn’t eat knowing that he didn’t know where you were, so he told everyone that he had to go home and ran to your house. He reached your house and knocked on the door but there was no answer. </p><p>Asahi pulled out his phone in a panic to call the police. “She could’ve been kidnapped. I wish I had Ms. Y/N’s number, but I need to find her!”, he said. </p><p>As the phone rang, Asahi was trembling in fear as he pictured what might have happened to you. He pictured you in a body bag, your body floating in a river, and you tied up in a basement.</p><p>“C’mon! Please pick up!”, he whispered while biting his nails. He was about to run to the police station when he heard something move on the roof. He walked back from your house to check it out and found you sitting on the roof looking into the distance. Asahi sighed with relief because he finally found you.</p><p>“Thank God”, he smiled.</p><p>He was going to yell out to you but it was late and he didn’t want to disturb your neighbors, so he tried waving for your attention. You looked down at your phone and he realized that you had your headphones in. It was really quiet in your neighborhood so he could hear that you had your music really loud so he had to find another way to get your attention. Asahi started to look around for a way to get your attention and found a ladder leaning against your house.</p><p>Asahi looked at the ladder and hesitated for a second. He gulped and remembered that his heroic attempt to go rescue you had to be put to a halt because he was afraid of heights. He walked to the ladder and walked away from it, freaking out due to the height from the ground to the roof. He didn’t want to go up there but he sucked it up because he had to make sure you were OK.</p><p>“I have to see if she’s OK...I really hope this ladder is stable…”, he whimpered. </p><p>“If I could see through walls...I could see you're faking...If you could see my thoughts...you would see our faces…”, you sang, feeling each lyric in your heart. You looked down at your phone and saw someone’s hand grabbing your foot. </p><p>“WHAT THE HELL?!?”, you screamed, taking out your headphones and backing away from the edge of the roof. As the hand reached closer to you, you found that the mysterious hand was connected to Asahi who was trembling in fear because he had never climbed that high before. He rolled on the roof and laid face up, holding his chest and gasping for air. </p><p>“I can’t believe I just did that, but I have to do that again to get down!”, he said. “I think I‘ll sleep up here!”</p><p>You grabbed your chest and sighed in relief because it was only Asahi. “Jesus Asahi, don’t scare me like that!” </p><p>Asahi looked over to you and smiled. He rapidly crawled over to you and pulled you into a hug, cradling your head while he squeezed you in tight.</p><p>“You don’t scare me like that! Where did you go?... You know what it doesn’t matter, I’m just glad you're OK!”</p><p>You, shocked at the fact that he was worried about you, pushed Asahi off you. You were fuming with anger because you didn’t understand why he wasn’t talking to you all day and now he was happy to see you; it reminded you of your ex, Taye.</p><p>“You’re glad I’m OK?!? You didn’t talk to me all day!...and why did you climb up here?!? You’re afraid of heights!”</p><p>Asahi confused at why you were rejecting his hug explained himself. “That doesn’t matter! Coach Ukai said that you had to go help your mom at home and I know she doesn’t come home from work until six o’clock so I knew something was up...so, why weren’t you answering your phone? I thought you were dead somewhere! You should always have your phone on just in case someone needs to reach you-“ </p><p>“What are you my dad now? I didn’t have my phone on because I forgot I turned it off during the game…are you done questioning me now?” You realize that you had been crying for a while and you tried to wipe your face to look more presentable. “Anyway, why are you here?”, you sniffled.</p><p>Asahi realized you had been crying and he was saddened by that. “Y/N, what’s wrong? Why did you leave? You have been acting different ever since last night-“</p><p>“IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LAST NIGHT! WHY DO YOU KEEP BRINGING THAT UP?!?”, you yelled. You bit your lip in anger because you didn’t like yelling at Asahi but you didn’t want to tell him how you were feeling because it hurt too much. “It was stupid of you to come up here, it’s high up and you won’t be able to get down because you're a big scaredy-cat! I’ll call the fire department to come and get you so you can go home-“ </p><p>“STOP PUSHING ME AWAY BECAUSE YOU’RE UPSET!” </p><p>Asahi’s voice echoed through the neighborhood and you were shocked that he yelled at you. This is the first time you have seen Asahi angry and the fact that he raised his voice meant that he was serious. Your phone was in his hand because he snatched it from you to get your attention and after he realized he yelled at you, he cleared his throat and lowered his tone. </p><p>“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled, b-but please Y/N stop! You’re scaring me! Please, tell me what’s wrong! I’m not leaving until you do!” </p><p>Asahi's voice was trembling and tears started streaming down his face. You didn’t understand why he was crying but you figured it was because he was worried about you. You started to cry because you felt like a horrible person. How could you hurt the person who left a celebration and faced their fear of heights to check if you were OK? </p><p>“When you won today, I saw how happy you were and I didn’t wanna ruin that moment for you. You weren’t talking to me, well because I ran away last night and didn’t walk with you this morning, but I thought you were mad at me and didn’t wanna talk to me. I-I’m sorry I made you worry...I’m sorry for being a bad friend...I’m sorry for running away last night, you didn’t do anything wrong! I was just panicking because...well because you were about to...kiss me...and I freaked out because...Asahi I’m so sorry…”</p><p>Asahi watched as you cried and apologized for making him worry. You thought you were done crying but your eyes were overflowing with tears. You crawled to Asahi, placed your head on his chest, and cried. He wrapped his arms around you and it was the most comforting thing you had ever experienced. It reminded you of the hugs your mom would give you after you had a nightmare when you were little, letting you know that everything was going to be alright. </p><p>“Y/N, I didn’t know you were feeling this way...I’m not mad at you, I just wanted to give you space because I could tell that I made you uncomfortable last night...I’m so sorry, I-I was caught up in the moment and I shouldn’t have done that...but you can tell me anything OK? I’m sorry I hurt you..”</p><p>Asahi’s tears fell on your cheek and you wiped away the tears from his face. “No it’s OK Asahi, I just panicked because you’re not the type to be so straight-forward...not that that’s a bad thing but I just didn't expect it...but maybe when I’m ready...can we try again?”</p><p>Asahi looked at you and smiled. “Uh, yeah...we can try again when you’re ready...and I’ll tell you...the thing I want to tell you when you're ready.” You looked at Asahi and wiped your tears. He made you feel safe and he respected the fact that you weren’t ready to tell him you liked him yet and he would wait until you were. It shocked you but it felt nice to finally meet a genuinely nice guy who respects your wishes. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Y/N please don’t mess this up...Asahi’s all you can ask for and more…</em> </b>
</p><p>“Well, I think you know what I wanna tell you...um, not to be blunt or anything and I know I said I would wait until you're ready but...is what I wanna tell you...kinda what you wanna tell me?”</p><p>You giggled at Asahi’s question and looked him in the eye. “You rub the back of your neck when you're nervous...so yeah...what I wanna tell you is what you wanna tell me...um yeah...pretty much…” You hid your face from him because you basically told Asahi that you had mutual feelings for him without actually saying it. </p><p>Asahi stopped rubbing the back of his neck and gulped. “Oh OK...w-well that’s good to know...but you know, when I’m talking to you and you get nervous, you look away from me and turn your head to the right...it’s just something I have noticed because I’m always looking...at you…”</p><p>You angrily blushed at Asahi because he had you figured out. You punched him in the arm and Asahi tried to dodge but ended up leaning back too far and almost fell off the roof. You quickly grabbed him and dragged him away from the edge as you too gasped for air, grateful that Asahi didn’t plummet to his death. </p><p>“How do you just casually sit on the roof like we aren’t 20 meters above the ground?!?”, Asahi screamed.</p><p>“You are such a scaredy-cat!”, you laughed. </p><p>Asahi brought some of the food from the restaurant in his bag and the two of you sat on the roof and ate it. You and Asahi listened to music while watching the city lights twinkle in the distance. You had brought water bottles up on the roof so you and Asahi could replenish your fluids from how much you guys cried. You wanted to be alone a few minutes ago but made an exception for the boy who had held you in his arms while you cried. You appreciated how he wanted to stay until you were OK and even though you wanted to wait to tell him how you felt, you wanted to at least give him the reason why. </p><p>You turned down the music and Asahi looked over to you. “What happened to the music? Did your phone die? I have a charger in my bag if you need to charge your-”</p><p>“Hey, can I tell you a story?”</p><p>- - - </p><p>
  <b> <em>~Two years ago ~</em> </b>
</p><p>“It’s open!”, you shouted from your room. It was a Friday night and you were relaxing after a long day at school. As you painted in your room, you heard footsteps heading up to your door. The door swung open and you smiled at the person who walked into your room. </p><p>“Hey babe”, said Taye, your boyfriend of two years. </p><p>You got off your bed and jumped on your boyfriend, kissing him on the cheek. “Hey baby, how are you?”</p><p>Taye tapped you on the back and placed his head on yours. “I’m good. We literally went out last week, why are you so excited to see me?”</p><p>You got off of him and walked back to your bed. “I know we went out last week for our anniversary but what, you’re tired of me already?”</p><p>Taye walked over to you and kissed you. “So, what’d you paint?”</p><p>Taye Davis was a family friend on your mother's side that you’ve known since you were a kid. You would only see him at family gatherings but the two of you got closer when he moved into your neighborhood. It wasn’t until the night before eighth grade that he confessed his feelings for you. You were surprised but reciprocated feelings for him and the two of you started dating. At the beginning of your relationship, it felt like you were on cloud 9. When he kissed you, you felt like you were floating and when you hung out together, you and Taye would laugh to the point that you almost peed yourself. Everything was great until two months ago when he kissed you and something felt off. </p><p>You didn’t know what it was but you felt like he was slipping away; he was there but he wasn’t there. Every time you would talk about it, Taye would brush it off and assure you that everything was OK. You didn’t want to overthink things but you kept it in the back of your mind just in case something was off again, and to your surprise today was that day. When Taye kissed you, you felt the same feeling you did two months ago. This worried you but you tried to think about the wonderful date you had last week celebrating two years with your boyfriend.</p><p>Two years...Taye and I have been dating for two years...I don’t think he knows how much I love him...I’m gonna marry this boy, I swear…</p><p>“...and yeah. I had no more of that color but I just improvised and mixed the blues and the reds that I used here to-” While you explained your painting to him, you looked up to see Taye looking at his phone anxiously like he was waiting for an important text. </p><p>“You’re not even listening to me!”, you yelled, snatching Taye’s phone out of his hand. </p><p>“Yes I was...hey, give me back my phone!” Taye reached for his phone but you pulled it away from him, dangling it like a treat for a dog. </p><p>“What, you have somewhere to go?”, you teased. You and Taye fought for a bit but you were able to put him into a headlock, winning the wrestling match you guys were having. As you gloated in your victory, the phone started to ring.</p><p>You looked at the buzzing device and saw that Taye’s mom was calling him. “Oh, your mom’s calling! Let me talk to my mother-in-law…”</p><p>Taye’s eyes widened and he squirmed in your chokehold, trying to break free so he could stop you from answering the phone. “No stop, give me my phone-”</p><p>You tighten your chokehold around Taye’s head as you answer the phone and put it on speaker. “Hello Ms.Davis, how are you?”</p><p>“It’s been ten minutes...so, how did it go? Did you break up with her?... Oh, I mean...Hi sweetie, did you get to Y/N’s house OK?”</p><p>Your heart dropped as you heard Taye’s best friend Derrick on the other line. You could’ve sworn you saw “Mom” when the phone rang but when you looked at the number under the contact name, it was Derrick’s number. You knew it was his number because Derrick had written it all over your notebook because he had a crush on you but you told him you just wanted to be friends because you were dating Taye. Taye sighed because he had been caught red-handed and grabbed the phone from your cold, dead hands. </p><p>“You dumbass! I’ll call you back...”<b>  </b></p><p>
  <b> <em>BEEP!</em> </b>
</p><p>“Listen, Y/N I’m not even gonna lie because that’s just gonna make everything worse but please hear me out-”</p><p>“Oh, I’ll hear you out...I’ll hear you out before I break your neck...” Taye became unsettled because you were incredibly calm. He expected you to be yelling and screaming but you just sat on your bed staring straight ahead. “You have ten seconds to explain yourself...GO!”</p><p>“Well...I wasn’t gonna do it today I wanted to do this another day but you told me to come over and Derrick said that he would get me out of it but I didn’t want you to find out this way but I told you not to take my phone and you did anyway but I’m sorry Y/N it’s just that-”</p><p>“You’re not in love with me anymore.” You looked at Taye and he stopped talking because you took the words right out of his mouth. “I’m right, aren’t I?”</p><p>“Y/N listen to me-”</p><p>“I knew it! But if I were to bring it up, I’m “overreacting” or “Here we go again”...I knew two months ago that you stopped loving me, but I kept quiet because things were good and I didn’t want to ruin it...but I guess you ruined it anyway…”</p><p>Taye stood up and walked across your bedroom. “Then if you knew why didn’t you break up with me?!? Like that makes no sense, why would you celebrate two years of us dating if you knew I didn’t love you?”</p><p>“Because things were good! If I were to bring it up, you would’ve called me “crazy” and we would’ve gotten into a fight and I’m tired of fighting! I just wanted us to get better but you change for one week and go right back to your emotionless self. You don’t even notice me anymore!”</p><p>“All you do is bottle everything up and keep tabs on me...and I don’t notice you?!? You barely pay attention to me! Y/N, I was feeling depressed for a whole week and all you did was text me. I could’ve used some alone time with my girlfriend...you know, we haven’t done it in a month...like do you even want to be with me anymore?”</p><p>“WE HAVEN’T DONE IT IN A MONTH BECAUSE THAT’S ALL YOU EVER WANNA DO! Every time we're together it’s “Babe, I’m craving you right now” or “C’mon, your mom isn’t home”...like honestly dude, if you want someone to instantly take off their clothes for you at your beck and call, I’m sure you can go pay someone for that...and what do you mean if I want to be with you anymore, YOU’RE THE ONE WHO JUST ADMITTED TO FALLING OUT OF LOVE WITH ME! ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!?!” You were now releasing all your anger that you were trying to control and you calmed yourself down so you wouldn’t show your boyfriend that you still cared about your dying relationship. </p><p>“I don’t understand...we just had a nice dinner last week…What happened to the Taye that told me I was beautiful every day? What happened to the Taye that would write me love letters and leave them on my porch? What happened to the Taye who wanted to kiss me when I was sad and tell me that everything was gonna be alright? Well, I guess he’s dead because the Taye that’s in my room right now is nothing but a coward who had to get his friend to help him escape his girlfriend's house BECAUSE HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE THE BALLS TO BREAKUP WITH HER-”</p><p>“I DIDN’T EVEN WANNA KISS YOU!”, Taye yelled. You stopped talking as Taye interrupted you and got in your face. </p><p>“I DIDN’T EVEN WANT TO KISS YOU!! YOU WERE HOPELESSLY WAITING FOR ME TO KISS YOU SO I DID...YOU GOT YOUR KISS, I GOT TO SMASH...WE BOTH GOT WHAT WE WANTED…” </p><p>
  <b> <em>SLAAAAPPPP!!</em> </b>
</p><p>Your hand moved out of instinct and slapped Taye’s face. Taye kept his face turned from you and you breathed heavily as your anger flowed over. “Don’t you EVER...get in my face like that again!!” </p><p>“Y/N, I’m sorry-”</p><p>“Well at least you finally told the truth for once…”, you said as you grabbed your hand that was throbbing in pain from the slap. “I figured that's why you stayed with me this long, but hey, you got what you wanted right? RIGHT?!?”</p><p>You got up from the bed and pushed Taye to the ground. “Y/N, I didn’t mean it like that...I’m sorry-”</p><p>“Save me your sorries...I’m glad you finally showed me your true colors, I’m just mad I didn’t leave when I saw them the first time!” You began to cry, not out of sadness, but out of the anger and rage you were feeling towards Taye and yourself. “I don’t ever wanna see your face again...but hey, cheer up...this is what you wanted right? You should be happy I’m breaking up with you.”</p><p>“Y/N please let’s talk about this-”</p><p>“GET OUT!”, you screamed. Taye looked up at you, frightened by your yelling. He sat there frozen like a statue and you began kicking him to get up. “GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OOOOUUUTTTTTT!! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!”</p><p>Taye put his phone in his pocket and ran out of your room. You heard the front door slam and you stood in your room, listening to your deep breaths as you hyperventilated in fury. You startled yourself because you anticipated this scenario but you didn’t expect to get that angry. Feeling unsatisfied from just yelling, you went around your room destroying anything that reminded you of Taye. You ripped up his love letters, threw the teddy bear he won at the fair for you out the window and deleted every photo and message you had with him. After your riot, you sat down on your floor and sobbed. You cried so loud that it echoed throughout your house. Your heart was shattered in two and you were mad at yourself for how much you still loved him.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Why...Why does it hurt so bad? He used me...and I knew he was...I wish I had never fallen in love with him...I wish I could go back to when we first met….Why does this always happen to me?</em> </b>
</p><p>You heard footsteps rapidly walking towards your door and you thought it was Taye coming back to try and talk things out again. “TAYE I SAID GO HOME, YOU ASSHOLE!”</p><p>“Y/N, are you OK?!? I heard screaming and I ran up here to check-” Your mom opened the door in a panic due to your wailing. She had just come home from work and still had her coat on. When she saw you on the floor crying, she ran to you to see if you were alright.</p><p>“Honey are you OK?!? Are you hurt? Who did this to you?”, she asked, checking your body for any bruises or scars.</p><p>Your mom asked the right questions but was searching in the wrong places because the scars and bruises were on your heart. You grabbed your mom and hugged her, uncontrollably sobbing on her chest. She asked you what was wrong and you told her everything that happened while gasping for air due to your heavy sobs.</p><p>“He...he used me, Mom...why does this always happen to me?!?!”</p><p>Your mother embraced you and since you had your ear on her chest, you could hear her heart beating and it soothed you. It was one of those hugs your mom gave you when you used to get nightmares as a kid to tell you that everything was gonna be alright. As you finished crying, your mom wiped your tears with her thumbs and kissed you on your forehead. </p><p>“I’m sorry baby! I know it hurts but one day there will be a person who will come into your life that will love you and treasure you like the gift you are...it might not be for a while but when you find them, you’ll know...OK? Now I’m not mad at the mess but we should clean this up...looks like an angry bull ran through your room!”</p><p>You giggled at your mom's joke and she helped you off the floor. “What would I ever do without you?”</p><p>- - -</p><p>“...he actually texted me when he found out that I was moving here and wanted to “rekindle things”. What a pathetic excuse of a human! But yeah...that’s basically how my first relationship went…”</p><p>Asahi sat and looked at you as you finished telling him about your last relationship. “Y/N, I didn’t know...I’m so sorry…”</p><p>You touched Asahi’s leg and smiled. “No it’s OK, of course, you didn’t know, I didn’t tell you!...but I just wanted to tell you about that because I wanted you to know why I have a hard time trusting people who show interest in me and I second-guess everything. It’s gonna take me some time to tell you what I wanna tell you and I didn’t want you to think that I was playing with your feelings, so I thought I should share what happened to me with you.” </p><p>“Y/N, you did nothing wrong! I-I’m glad you can tell me about something like that and that was probably hard for you to talk about. I get it, you are still hurting from what happened and I am sorry that he did that to you. This Taye guy is a...is an asshole!”</p><p>You gasped at Asahi’s filthy mouth. “Asahi, did you just say asshole?”</p><p>Asahi cleared his throat and pulled on his collar. “W-well yes, I did. I said he’s an asshole...well only because he’s an asshole...I should probably stop saying asshole OOPS!” Asahi covered his mouth and you laughed at his cursing. </p><p>“No, he is an asshole. But I’m happy that happened because look at me now...I’m single and living in Japan!”, you screamed. Asahi shushed you because it was late and you apologized for being loud. “So yeah, I thought I should share that with you and thank you for listening. I know you probably don’t wanna hear me talking about my ex but it just helps if I talk about it.”</p><p>“No no no, it’s really no problem.”, Asahi said. “I mean..I’ve never been in a relationship...before...and I’m not great at giving advice but...you know what, let me get to the point…” Asahi was trying to get the right words out but failed miserably. You sat there and watched as he took a deep breath, resetting the words he was going to say and starting over. </p><p>“I want you to do something with me, OK?”, Asahi said, turning towards you. You nodded your head and Asahi held out his hand palm facing up in front of you. </p><p>“OK, hold your hand out like this…”, he said. You copied Asahi and waited for his next instruction.</p><p>“Alright, now you’re going to take your finger and draw the ‘person’ kanji three times on your hand.”</p><p>Asahi demonstrated how to draw the kanji and you copied him. “One...two...three…OK, what’s next?”</p><p>“OK, now you're gonna eat it and swallow...like this…”, Asahi said, putting the hand in front of his mouth and pretending to eat the drawing in his hand. You thought it was weird but you did it anyway. After you were done, you remembered Asahi doing the same thing during the game and you wondered why he was making you do it now.</p><p>“Hey, I remember you did this during the game...why?”, you asked.</p><p>“Well, it’s a Japanese belief called Hito Wo Nomu that is used to relieve anxiety and nervousness so when I’m having a panic attack, I like to do it so that I can calm down. I could tell you were anxious and I thought I should share that with you so you could relieve your stress...Well I mean if it doesn’t work for you I’m sure their other ways of dealing with anxiety but that is the only one I could think of right now!” You smiled at Asahi’s thoughtfulness and blushed from how he was always thinking about you. He was selfless and that was one of the many traits you loved about him. </p><p>You touched Asahi’s pinky with your hand. “It worked perfectly Asahi, thank you!” </p><p>Asahi smiled and grabbed your pinky with his pinky. “Well, I’m glad…”</p><p>The two of you gazed into each other's eyes and grabbed each other’s pinkies. Having this heart-to-heart made you guys fall even harder for the other, even though you weren’t going to say it out loud. </p><p>Asahi realized the pinky-holding you two were doing and slipped his finger out of your grasp. “Oh wow, it’s getting pretty late...I-I think we should start heading inside”, he stuttered.</p><p>“Yeah, we should.” Asahi and you cleaned up the take-out containers and started heading to the edge of the roof. Asahi was shaking in fear of the drop to the ground and grabbed onto your waist, begging for another way down from the roof. </p><p>“Please Y/N, I don’t think I can do this! We’re so high up...What if the ladder breaks and we fall? There’s no way we’d survive that…”</p><p>You laughed at Asahi and grabbed his arms that were squeezing your waist. “Ok. how about I go down first and I’ll guide you down the ladder so you won’t fall? How does that sound?”</p><p>Asahi nodded his head and you began climbing down the ladder. Once you reached the bottom, you looked up to see Asahi peering over the edge to make sure you got down safely. “OK Asahi, let’s go! I’ll be right behind you, OK?” </p><p>Asahi nodded his head, shaking as he began climbing down the ladder. You guided him down and when he got to the bottom, he grabbed onto your arm and you lifted him off the ladder and placed his feet on the ground.</p><p>“Jeez..you're..heavy...but here we go! See, that wasn't so bad!”</p><p>“No, it wasn’t. I’m fine now that I’m back on the ground!”, Asahi said while nervously chuckling. “Thanks for helping me down!”</p><p>“Hey, don’t worry about it! I got you!”, you said patting Asahi on the shoulder.</p><p>
  <b> <em>I mean I got to see a GREAT VIEW so…I ain’t complaining…</em> </b>
</p><p>As you fantasized about Asahi’s rear end that was in your face a second ago, he grabbed your hand that was on his shoulder. “No seriously Y/N  thank you, I thought I was gonna die! What would I do without you?” </p><p>You grabbed Asahi's cheek and gazed at him with appreciation. </p><p>
  <b> <em>No Asahi, what would I do without you?</em> </b>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. If He Wins, I'll Kiss Him</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“This is the house!”, Asahi said. You stopped walking and turned around to see Asahi standing in front of a large house with a balcony on the second floor. </p><p>You walked over to Asahi and laughed. “That house looks like a rich businessman would live there. There’s no way that’s Daichi’s house-”</p><p>“Hey, guys! It took you long enough! Get inside before you catch a cold!” Daichi stood in the doorway of his house and shouted at you and Asahi from inside. </p><p>“Coming!”, Asahi waved as he walked toward the house. You stood there in shock that the large house with the balcony was Daichi’s. </p><p>“THAT’S HIS HOUSE?!?”</p><p>As you left the December cold and entered the warm house, you heard chatter coming from the living room. You and Asahi took off your shoes at the door and took off your coats. Asahi took off his beige trench coat and gave it to Daichi for him to put away. You were checking out Asahi as he revealed his outfit that was hiding under his coat. He had on a beige turtleneck sweater and peach pants. His arms were defined from how fitted the sweater was and you stared at how good Asahi looked. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Damn, he looks so good...too good…</em> </b>
</p><p>Daichi took your coat and looked you up and down. You were wearing jean overalls and a green sweater. Your overalls had cute embroidered iron-on patches on the front and hearts on the side of the pants leg. “I like the overalls, Y/N! Very cute!”</p><p>You looked down and pulled on your overall straps. “Thank you! I made it myself.”</p><p>“Impressive!”, Daichi said, looking you up and down once more. “I’m gonna go put these away, everyone’s in the living room. Make yourself at home!”</p><p>Daichi headed upstairs and you and Asahi walked down the hallway. You looked around at the picture frames on the wall and noticed a family photo. The picture included Daichi, his mom, a little boy, and a little girl. Asahi turned back and walked over to you who was staring at the two little kids in the photo. </p><p>“I didn’t know Daichi had siblings. They look just like him!” </p><p>Asahi stared at the photo with you. “Yeah, they do. He’s a good big brother, but he acts like their father more than anything.” The both of you looked at each other and laughed at the fact that Daichi acted like a father, especially towards the boys on the team. Just last week, he scolded Hinata for sneaking into a training camp; you thought he was going to ground him.</p><p>“I can’t wait to see Daichi when he has kids…”, you giggled. “Oh, before we go in, I just wanted to say that you look really good! I like the high bun...trying something new, I see.”</p><p>Asahi rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. “Oh well, thanks. I did a hair mask last night and I wanted to do something different with my hair. I think I’m gonna keep it like this for now and when I find a new style to do, I’ll change it.”</p><p>“But the overalls you made...maybe you should come to fashion school with me! Aha, Aha….Aha....”, he nervously chuckled. Asahi panicked because he didn’t want you to realize that he thought about you in his future and laughed it off as a joke. </p><p>“Oh no, I could never! I’ll leave that to you! You’re the one who's good with your hands after all.” You smiled at the nervous boy standing in front of you, soaking in the compliment you just gave him. </p><p>“Will you two lovebirds come inside already?” Tanaka opened the bathroom door and walked in between you guys. He felt your eyes glare on the back of his neck and he scurried away in fear that you were going to hit him. </p><p>“I swear I’m gonna-”, you mumbled while clenching your fist. </p><p>Asahi grabbed your fist and you felt his calmness flow from his hand to yours. “Please don’t punch him! The last time his arm was sore for three days!” </p><p>You lowered your hand and pulled on your overall straps. “Fine whatever let’s just go in…” You walked into the living room and Asahi followed behind you thankful that he stopped the altercation. </p><p>Everyone in the living room turned their attention to the doorway to see that you and Asahi had arrived. You both greeted everyone and started to mingle amongst the party. Daichi’s mom made food and Hinata and Kageyama fought over who would get seconds. While Daichi screamed at them, Tanaka and Nishinoya played rock paper scissors to decide who got to compliment Kiyoko’s outfit. Tskuishima and Yamaguchi were also there but they were off in the corner by themselves. You met Daichi’s younger brother and sister and they formed a liking for you. As you played with the kids, Asahi got lost in watching how good you were with them. It warmed his heart and he imagined what it would be like to have kids with you but quickly suppressed those thoughts in embarrassment. </p><p>Sugawara passed by Asahi and whispered, “Maybe in a few years, she’ll be playing with <em> your </em>kids.”</p><p>Asahi jumped from Sugawara’s sly whisper. “I hate you…”, he grumbled. </p><p>Sugawara walked into the room you were in with the kids and stood in the doorway with a knife. “Hey guys, it’s time to cut the cake!” </p><p>“CAKE!”, Daichi’s siblings yelled. The kids ran for cake and you walked in after them. “Whoever gave you a knife is a mad man…”, you said, inching your body away from Sugawara as you passed by him. </p><p>“What knife?...Oh!”, he laughed. “Daichi’s mom told me to get this for her. I totally forgot I had it!”</p><p>
  <b> <em>He forgot he had a knife in his hand?!? </em> </b>
</p><p>You took the knife out of Sugawara’s hand and walked over to Daichi’s mom. “What?!? You don’t trust me?!? I had it facing down!”, Sugawara yelled, offended that you didn’t trust him with a knife. </p><p>Everyone gathered around Daichi as he sat at the table to cut his cake. Sugawara and Kiyoko were on his left side, and Asahi and you were on his right. As Daichi’s mom brought out the cake and lit the candles, everyone started to sing “Happy Birthday” to the birthday boy.</p><p>“...Happy birthday to you!”</p><p>“AND MANY MOOOOORE!”, Tanaka and Nishinoya sang loudly.</p><p>Daichi laughed at the boys and smiled. “Thank you guys. I’m so glad to have another year on this earth and be surrounded by the people I love. I can’t wait for what the New Year will bring and to spend my last months of high school with all of you.”</p><p>“Stop it, you're gonna make me cry!”, you sniffled. Everyone laughed and Daichi apologized for getting mushy during his speech. “Just blow out your candles already!”  </p><p>Daichi took a deep breath and as he was about to blow out the candles, Sugawara stopped him and went to the kitchen.</p><p>Daichi took the hint and nodded his head. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot! It’s someone’s birthday as well!”</p><p>Sugawara placed a cake in front of Asahi and lit the candles. “Wait...what?!?”, Asahi gasped.</p><p>“Daichi’s birthday is on the 31st and your birthday is the next day, so we thought we should celebrate it today since we’re all together.”, Kiyoko explained.</p><p>“Alright, guys! From the top...one, two, three!”, Sugawara shouted. Everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to Asahi and he blushed from the attention. All eyes were on him but he appreciated the gesture his friends had made for him. </p><p>“...Happy birthday to you!”, everyone cheered.</p><p>“AND MANY MOOOORE!!”, Tanaka and Nishinoya shouted even louder than before.</p><p>“Let me take a picture”, Daichi’s mom said as she pulled out her phone. “Squeeze in closer, you guys!”</p><p>She took three photos: one with everyone, one with the third-years, and one with Daichi and his siblings. After she was done, Daichi blew out his candles and wondered why Asahi hadn't blown out his. “Blow out your candles man!”, he told Asahi. </p><p>“See I don’t want to blow on the cake and get my germs all over it, that’s unsanitary!” Asahi examined the cake trying to find a way to blow the candles out hygienically. “Let...me...just…” Asahi grabbed the candles and blew them out one by one away from the cake. He blew the last one out and grinned at his success of not contaminating the cake. “Ok, we can eat it now!”</p><p>Daichi, who was cutting his cake, looked at Asahi and realized that blowing out candles spreads germs onto the cake. He didn't think that Asahi’s germ fact would affect anyone wanting to eat his cake, so he started handing it out. “Anyone want the first slice?”</p><p>Everyone shook their heads in unison and backed away from the cake. “YOU ATE MY GERM CAKE LAST YEAR! JUST EAT THE CAKE!” </p><p>Cake was passed around and everyone resumed the party. Daichi loves chocolate cake and Asahi loves carrot cake, so those were the cakes served at the party. You sat with the third-years and talked about Nationals. It was the last game they would play together before they graduated and they were excited for what was in store for the future. </p><p>Asahi took a bite of his cake and melted from the taste. “This cake is really good! It’s so funny, I was just saying I haven’t had carrot cake in forever.”</p><p>“I know it’s your favorite so I stopped by a bakery near my house and got it for today. Everyone chipped in so I could get it.”, Kiyoko said. </p><p>“WHAT?!?”, Asahi said with a piece of cake in his mouth. “You guys didn't have to spend your money on a cake! I'll pay you back right now!” Asahi shoved his hand in his pockets and searched for his wallet. It was in his coat upstairs but he rummaged through his pants to pay back everyone for buying him the cake. You grabbed Asahi’s hand and stopped him from trying to pay back everyone for his gift. </p><p>“Will you just accept the cake? It’s your birthday! If I were you, I would have been like “only one?”, you laughed. “It’s a gift, don’t worry about it!”</p><p>Asahi lowered his hand and sighed. “Thank you guys so much! That was really nice of you to do that for me.” Daichi and Sugawara patted their friend on the shoulder and everyone said “Happy Birthday” to the birthday boys.</p><p>As the party ended, everyone went home except Kiyoko, Asahi, Sugawara, and you. You all helped clean up and Daichi thanked you guys for helping out.</p><p>“Oh stop it!”, Sugawara said. “It’s your birthday, go relax.”</p><p>Daichi sat down on the couch and smiled at his good friends who were cleaning up his party. While you were picking up the plates from the table, Asahi passed by you and brushed against your butt. You turned around and saw Asahi’s face was red and he backed away from you. You knew it was an accident but you wanted to tease him, so you smirked at him and walked away. Asahi got even redder and stared at you, speechless at your reaction.</p><p>“She’s gonna kill me..”, he whispered under his breath.</p><p>As you threw the plates in the garbage, Daichi’s brother and sister ran over to you, giggling and looking at each other. Daichi’s sister tugged on your sleeve and you turned towards her.</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Hehe, um...do you kiss Asahi on the lips?”</p><p>“OK YOU TWO, UPSTAIRS NOW!”, Daichi yelled. The kids ran up the stairs giggling and you stood there in silence. “I'm sorry about them.”</p><p>“Uh...no it’s fine, they're just kids”, you laughed. </p><p>
  <b> <em>I’m just glad Asahi’s in the bathroom. He would’ve shut down if he heard that…</em> </b>
</p><p>“Yeah, but still…”, Daichi said in the annoyance of his younger siblings. “But do you?”</p><p>“Do I what?”, you asked.</p><p>“Do you kiss Asahi on the lips?”</p><p>Daichi saw the opportunity to ask you that since Asahi wasn’t in the room. You hated Daichi for being blunt but you were just glad he waited until Asahi left to discuss it.</p><p>“Oh my God, finally someone said it!”, Sugawara exclaimed, putting cups into the sink. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that all night! Did you guys kiss yet?”</p><p>Kiyoko didn’t say anything but looked to you for an answer. “You like Asahi? That’s so sweet! You two would make a great couple!”, Daichi’s mom said. </p><p>“OK, OK”, you shushed. All eyes were on you and you collected yourself from the ambush of questions. “Yes, I like Asahi but no, I haven’t kissed him yet.”</p><p>Disappointed “awws” filled the room as you finished your sentence.  </p><p>“But I plan to...”</p><p>“Hey I got our coats, are you ready to go?” Asahi walked into the room with your coat in his hand. Asahi opened your coat and you put your arms inside the sleeves. </p><p>You looked back at Asahi as he adjusted your jacket on your shoulders.“Thank you...yeah, let’s go.” Sugawara, Daichi, and Daichi’s mom looked at you with their mouths open in shock at what you said before Asahi came into the room.</p><p>You grabbed Asahi and ran to the door. Daichi slid out into the hallway to get an explanation out of you. “What do you mean you plan to?!?” </p><p>“Thanks for having us Happy Birthday bye!”, you shouted as you slammed the door. </p><p>“What was that all about?”, Asahi asked as you dragged him down the steps. </p><p>“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” </p><p>
  <b> <em>I don’t know how much longer I can hold this up...I wanna tell him, but I’m so scared! Ughh, I hate myself sometimes…</em> </b>
</p><p>It’s been three months since you and Asahi had the heart-to-heart on your roof. The two of you have been going on dates after practice and on weekends. Since you guys always walked home together, no one suspected anything. You and Asahi went out to eat, went ice skating, watched movies under blankets and drank hot chocolate, and went to a tree lighting the week before Christmas. You didn’t feel rushed into making your relationship with Asahi official because you didn’t feel any pressure to do so. You both loved how things were and didn’t need to put a label on it right now. You slowly accepted the fact that soon or later, you would have to admit that you were in love with him.</p><p>Asahi was falling head over heels for you. He had gotten closer to you than he ever has and loved the winter activities you did together. Every time he came home from a date, he would lay on his bed and blush into his hands. He couldn’t believe that you liked him and it made him happy. He felt appreciated, he felt seen, he felt like he could run a 10k marathon. He was happy how things were and he would do anything to keep you happy, even if that meant waiting. </p><p>On New Year's day, the third-years and you met for a shrine visit. Even though a time was set, Daichi, Sugawara, and Asahi arrived early at the meeting spot. You had something to do before you could go, so you told Asahi to meet you there. You arrived and saw the boys sitting on a bench waiting for you and Kiyoko. </p><p>“You guys are here early!”, you smiled.</p><p>“Yeah, but I’m surprised they are!”, Daichi laughed. Sugawara scrunched his nose at Daichi and Asahi tilted his head in confusion. “You look like you're ready for the North Pole! Is it that cold?”</p><p>You had on a hat, a scarf, and gloves. You stared at the boys who had their heads exposed to the cold. “You’re gonna get sick. Your head releases the most amount of heat from your body and you have to cover-”, you rambled while going over to each boy and adjusting their scarves. </p><p>“OK fine, just don’t do it too tight!”, Sugawara squirmed as you tightened his scarf.</p><p>“Sorry I’m late.”, Kiyoko said. You turned around to see her standing behind you. “Did I get the time wrong?”</p><p>The boys got up and bowed in front of Kiyoko. “Happy New Year.”</p><p>You realized that you should do the same and copied the boys awkwardly. “Uh...Happy New Year.” </p><p>Kiyoko bowed, reciprocating the greeting. “Happy New Year.”</p><p>You all began to climb the stairs to go visit the shrine. “It’s our first time doing a shrine visit for the first of the year together”, Daichi said. </p><p>“Well it’s my first time visiting a shrine”, you said with excitement in your eyes. When you got to the shrine you gasped in awe of its beauty. You have seen it in pictures but it looked even better in person. Daichi, Kiyoko and Asahi looked at each other and smiled at their foreign friend who would experience their first shrine visit with them. </p><p>As you gazed at the structure, Sugawara finally made it up the stairs and gasped for air like he’d been through hell and back. “Hey...c’mon..already…” There were a group of people in front of you guys and Sugawara didn’t want to wait. </p><p>“You're barely even breathing. There weren’t even that many steps.”, Daichi said to Sugawara.</p><p>When it was your turn, you and your friends stood in front of the shrine. You watched as the third-years clapped their hands twice, put them together, and prayed. You followed after and looked to them to confirm if you did it right and they smiled. Next, it was time to pick out a fortune for the new year. You and Kiyoko pulled out a fortune and it read “fortune”. You showed the group and Asahi went to go get his.</p><p>“I’d be pretty depressed if I picked out a bad one…”, Asahi sighed. </p><p>“You’ll be fine! You’re overthinking it.”, Sugawara said.</p><p>Asahi pulled out a piece of paper from the fortune lottery and it read “curse”. Daichi and Sugawara laughed at his bad luck but Asahi was horrified.</p><p>“You didn’t even get “great blessing”, you just got plain ‘ole boring “curse”, Sugawara laughed. It was Daichi’s turn to get a fortune and he grabbed the paper and read what it said. </p><p>“Future Blessing”, Sugawara and Daichi read.</p><p>“That’s way more plain and boring!”, Asahi shouted.</p><p>You and the third-years began walking down the stairs as you finished getting your fortunes. Since this was your first time visiting a shrine, Daichi explained to you the history of the New Year's tradition. He explained that when you visit a shrine, you're supposed to be thankful for everyday things or you’ll get bad luck. Asahi panicked and said that he asked for a lot of things at the shrine, like about Nationals, his future after high school, and even for his neighbor's dog to feel better. </p><p>“The gods probably think I’m super annoying now…”, Asahi groaned.</p><p>“Well I don’t blame you, I’m just glad you're asking for us to win!”, Sugawara said.</p><p>“Yeah, I asked the same thing”, you added. “And some other things…”, you whispered under your breath.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Like the strength to tell Asahi how I feel…</em> </b>
</p><p>“It’s not like the gods are gonna help us with the match”, Kiyoko said in a monotone voice. Kiyoko’s words covered you guys like a gray cloud and you turned around to see her standing a few steps away from you. </p><p>“Um...Kiyoko…”, Daichi said. Asahi was shaking in fear that the gods wouldn’t answer his prayer and that his “curse” was going to be in full effect.</p><p>“Even if the gods don’t help us, we'll be fine.” Kiyoko smiled at the boys and they knew exactly what Kiyoko meant. She started walking down the steps and you adored the relationship the boys had with Kiyoko. They knew that she always had the right judgment about things and they respected her for it. You envied it but at the same time, you knew that the boys had the same amount of respect for you as they did for Kiyoko, even though they’ve known her longer. </p><p>“You guys are gonna do great during the match, and whether you win or lose, I’ll be proud that you even made it that far!” The boys thanked you for believing in them and you guys began walking to go get something to eat. As you were walking, Asahi pulled you onto the inside of the sidewalk so he could walk next to the edge. You were confused but realized that Asahi was just a boy ingrained with manners. You continued walking and Asahi looked down at your arm.</p><p>“Every time I see you, you always have a bag in your hand”, he pointed out.</p><p>You looked down at your arm to see a gift bag swaying back and forth. You instantly remembered what it was and were filled with a burst of energy. “Oh my God, I totally forgot I had this! Dude, it’s your birthday today! Happy birthday!”</p><p>Asahi smiled and rubbed the back of his neck as usual. “Oh, thank you. It’s not a big deal really, it’s OK that you forgot. But what does that have to do with the bag?”</p><p>Your mouth dropped that Asahi didn’t believe his birthday should be celebrated. “Sometimes I really hate you!” You furrowed your brows at him and Asahi was shocked that it mattered to you that much. “It’s the day you were born! Of course, it’s a big deal! If you weren’t born today, then I would have never met you, dummy!”</p><p>Daichi, Sugawara, and Kiyoko watched as you ranted to Asahi about how important birthdays are.</p><p>“Nishinoya said the same thing when he said that last year”, Daichi noted. Sugawara nodded his head and Kiyoko stared at the dynamic of you two. “It’s almost like she’s the girl version of Nishinoya.”</p><p>“That makes them a perfect match,” Kiyoko said. The boys looked at her and smiled.</p><p>“You read my mind”, Sugawara said.</p><p>“Anyway, I got you a gift because I care about you and stuff and you're gonna love it. Now here…” You extended the gift bag to Asahi. “C’mon open it.”</p><p>“Uh OK.” Asahi's hands were shaking when he took the bag and he tried to mask him gushing over your thoughtfulness. He opened the bag and he was surprised to see what was inside.</p><p>“A sketchpad?!?” </p><p>“Your old one was looking like it was on its last legs so I thought I’d get you a new one…”, you smiled. “Oh, there’s something else in there too!”</p><p>Asahi was surprised that you got him something else and looked inside of the bag and pulled out a box. He opened the box and you could see his eyes widened in surprise at what was inside.</p><p>“I also got you a sewing kit with some special sewing tools...I was at the store and they were on sale and it thought you would like it-”</p><p>“Y/N I LOVE IT!” Asahi shouted. For a boy who didn’t care about birthdays, his attitude surely changed when he saw the sewing kit. “I mean I love the sketchbook but this, oh my God! I was going to go buy one the other day-” Asahi put his gifts back in the bag and walked up close to you. “Thank you so much, Y/N. I really love my gift.”</p><p>He was looking down at you and fixed his eyes on yours. He smiled so big that you were blinded by the whiteness and you began to freak out due to Asahi’s reaction.</p><p>An overwhelming urge to kiss Asahi grew in you but was quickly shoved back down and locked away. You couldn’t do it now, even though you yearned to, so you put on your “I don’t care” attitude to hide how much of a crush you had on him.</p><p>“Yeah? Well, I'm glad you like it, it's whatever it’s not a big deal” You pouted and blushed, turning away from Asahi so he wouldn’t catch on to your facade. “Well I don’t know about you but I’m getting hungry! Let’s go birthday boy, it’s time to eat!” </p><p>“Yeah, I guess I’m pretty hungry right now”, Asahi chuckled. You were holding your composure in front of Asahi and as soon as you turned around, you started freaking out silently. </p><p>
  <b> <em>Oh my God I wanna kiss him so baaad! I hope he didn’t catch me staring at his lips but they looked so tempting...I can’t take it anymore! You know what, I’ll make a promise to myself right now…During the second round of Nationals, if he wins, I’ll kiss him! </em> </b>
</p><p>“I thought Asahi’s birthday was so important”, Daichi teased as you walked by. Daichi watched the interaction between you and Asahi from start to finish and saw you progressively blushed when Asahi thanked you for the gift. </p><p>“Shut up!”, you yelled, pulling on Daichi’s ear. </p><p>Daichi screamed out in pain and Sugawara laughed. Daichi yelled at you for pulling on his ear and pulled on yours in revenge. The two of you started pulling each other’s ears and Sugawara tried his best to break up the fight. Asahi walked up to Kiyoko, worried that you and Daichi were gonna hurt each other.</p><p>“Guys stop before someone gets hurt!”, Asahi trembled.</p><p>Kiyoko shook her head and smiled. “When will she just admit it?”</p><p>School started and the boys had a few days of practice. Nationals were just days away and the boys were giving it all they had. Once the bell rang you headed down to the gym and started helping Kiyoko set up. Coach Ukai was there earlier than usual because he wanted to have practice early so he could go open up his shop. When you finished setting up the volleyball net, Coach Ukai told you to tell the boys to hurry up and get out of the club room. As you walked to the club room, you knocked and put your ear to the door, listening to the chatter coming from inside. </p><p>“Guys, c’mon! Coach said hurry up and get out!”</p><p>“Y/N come in! Don’t worry, we’re all dressed”, Nishinoya shouted from inside. You slid the door open and covered your eyes.</p><p>“Why are your eyes covered?”</p><p>You took down your hand and saw that Nishinoya wasn’t lying. “I don’t trust you. You’re always playing tricks on me.” You leaned on the door and greeted everyone. “Coach said he wants to have a quick practice so hurry up.”</p><p>“OK Ok, we’re coming…”, Tanaka said, getting up from the floor. He walked over to a poster of girls on a beach and whispered to one. “Bye my sweet. Be good while I’m gone.”</p><p>As he walked out of the room, you looked at him in disgust. “Yeeaah...never do that again…”</p><p>Tsukishima passed by you and scoffed. “He does this every day, I would rip down that poster if I could.”</p><p>“Tsukishima if you touch her, there will be hell to pay!”, Tanaka shouted from down the hall.</p><p>“Shut up and get in the gym.” Tsukishima adjusted his glasses and walked into the gym. “Such an idiot.”</p><p>“Nishi, don’t forget that your shirt is in your locker.”, Asahi said. Nishinoya opened his locker and found his button-down shirt in it.</p><p>“Thanks man! Like I knew you were good at sewing but I had to see it to believe it.” Nishinoya locked his locker and looked at Asahi’s bag. “But dude, you need to put some stuff in your locker. Your bag looks like it’s gonna break!”</p><p>“I don’t wanna put stuff in my locker...It’s hard for me to open and I don’t want my stuff getting locked in there and I can’t get it out.” You looked at Asahi with a “duh” look on your face. </p><p>
  <b> <em>That’s the point of a locker…</em> </b>
</p><p>“Besides, I'm graduating soon and I need to start cleaning out my desk, so I’m taking this home.”</p><p>“I forgot that we are graduating soon”, Daichi said. “I should probably start doing that.”</p><p>Nishinoya banged his fist into his locker and bowed his head dramatically. “No! Don’t remind me! I don’t wanna remember that you and Kiyoko are graduating!” </p><p>“Hey what about us?”, Sugawara and Daichi asked, feeling left out. </p><p>“What am I gonna do when I lose a button on my shirt?!?”</p><p>“Ask your mom sew it?”, Asahi said in confusion.</p><p>You snapped your fingers at the boys to get their attention. “You can figure that out at graduation, now get to the gym!”</p><p>“Alright, I’m coming!”, Nishinoya said. The rest of the boys walked out of the room and you shut the door behind them. Practice started as usual and you thought about the fact that graduation was around the corner.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Time really does fly by. It feels like I just transferred here. I just became the manager like yesterday...has it really been that long since I liked Asahi? Time is running out...I have to tell him how I feel. I wanna kiss him... I want to be with him! I...I can’t let this one slip away…</em> </b>
</p><p>- - -</p><p>“Good job today guys!”, Coach Ukai said. The Karasuno boys won their first round of Nationals with Asahi scoring the winning point. After a short meeting, the boys went to relax for tomorrow's game against the second favorite to win the tournament, Inarizaki High. Hinata fell asleep in the bath and Yamaguchi had to pull him out to make sure he didn't drown. In the main room, Nishinoya was asleep and Sugawara was surprised that a boy with such energy fell asleep so early. </p><p>Daichi stepped outside on the balcony and  found Asahi standing there looking at the skyline. “Let me guess, thinking about how this is your last tournament?”</p><p>"Daichi, I didn't know you could read minds”, Asahi laughed.</p><p>“Yeah man, it’s crazy. After this match, we’re graduating.” Daichi leaned against the railing and looked out in front of him.</p><p>“I’m so nervous about the game tomorrow”, Daichi said. Asahi looked over to his friend who had been the image of fearlessness and smiled.“ Well, that makes me feel calmer knowing that you're nervous.”</p><p>“What?!? How?!?”, Daichi yelled.</p><p>“We’re gonna do our best tomorrow and even though I’m freaking out, I know I’m looking forward to when we win.” Daichi was stunned by Asahi's words because he was usually the one who was a nervous wreck before a game. Daichi wondered what Asahi was looking forward to after the game, what was making him power through, what was making him radiate with confidence. </p><p>“Hm...Interesting…”</p><p>The next day arrived and the game against Inarizaki High had begun. The school was pretty popular and their star player Atsumu Miya was like an idol. During the game, their school had the band play when Karasuno was serving. It was a tactic to distract the server and it worked. Coach Ukai told the boys not to focus on that and worry about getting the ball over and they followed his orders. Tanaka referred to how he wished they had a cool band like their opponent and as soon as he finished his sentence, his sister Saeko walked into the stands with her taiko drum group.</p><p>“Saeko!”, Nishinoya and Hinata yelled as they waved to the stands. She winked at the boys and the drum group began to play a traditional Japanese song. You looked in amazement at the woman leading the drumming group.</p><p>“Wow Tanaka, I still don’t believe you're related to her. She's so cool!”</p><p>“What do you mean? I’m cool! She just drinks and goes to parties all the time, that’s so not cool!”</p><p>
  <b> <em>This kid is so delusional… </em> </b>
</p><p>The game resumed and things started getting challenging. The twins of the Inarizaki team, Atsumu and Osamu, were very quick on learning Hinata and Kayegama’s moves and they copied them. This scared the team and they became discouraged but Daichi assured them that they were going to do OK. There was one moment of the game when Asahi was about to serve and the Inarizaki High cheer section decided to boo him. Asahi was caught off guard by the booing and served into the net. You were furious and looked over to Coach Ukai for him to do something. </p><p>“I know they can distract the opposing team but can they boo them?!?’, you asked in anger. </p><p>“Yes they can but it’s really cruel to do, even for them”, he growled.</p><p>You looked at Asahi who was being comforted by Nishinoya that his mistake was OK and that he will do better next time. You wanted to yell at Inarizaki’s cheer section in the stands but you knew you can’t so you screamed in your head about all the things you would say to them.</p><p>
  <b> <em>The hell do you think you are booing Asahi! I should come up there and slap you...booing Asahi, how dare you! He barely can concentrate as it is...It’s OK Asahi, just focus. Don’t listen to the negativity, you got this! </em> </b>
</p><p>“It’s OK Asahi! Make the next one!”, Coach Ukai shouted. Asahi looked over to the bench and saw you nod your head, telling him that he could do it. Asahi nodded back and refocused on the game. He remembered his objective: win the game. </p><p>Time passed and the game came to a close tie. It was neck in neck and Coach Ukai was pacing around the bench. Kiyoko watched with her mouth open and you bit your fingernails. Back and forth the ball went, hitting the ground of both sides on the net. “C’mon guys!”, you shouted. Your adrenaline was rushing through your body and you had to stand as well. You couldn’t sit, the game was so close, anything could happen. </p><p>Kiyoko and Takeda shortly stood up with you and Coach Ukai in the anticipation of what was to come. Were the boys about to win? Were they seriously about to win. Osamu spiked the ball but was instantly blocked by Hinata and Kageyama. As the ball headed toward the back of the court, two players on the opposing team attempted to reach the ball but were unable to make it when the ball landed. </p><p>For the first time, the Inarizaki cheer section was silent as a whistle blew twice and finalized that Karasuno won the match. The Karasuno boys jumped piled on top of Kagayama and Hinata who scored the winning point with their synchronized attack. Everyone was surprised except Karasuno who knew they had it in the bag since the night before. You were in shock that they won only because you knew you had to go through with the promise you made to yourself.</p><p>
  <b> <em>He won the second match of Nationals... which means...I have to kiss him. Yup...I’m not backing out of this one. </em> </b>
</p><p>Asahi was cheering and laughing with the other boys and you caught yourself staring at the boy with the number 3 jersey. You remembered you told Asahi that good luck comes in threes and you remembered your fortune you got on New Years'; it was all coming together. You were lucky to have met Asahi, you were lucky to spend the happy moments together with him, you were lucky to have him love you so much that he was willing to wait for you. You were lucky to see him right now in all of his glory as the victorious ace of the Karasuno Volleyball Team. </p><p>At that moment when you looked at Asahi, memories of you and him played in front of you. When you first met, when you walked home together, the one-on-one game outside of the gym. Asahi cooking for you, crying with you, laughing with you, sharing moments with you, it all played out like a movie as you gazed at him with infatuation. You knew at that moment when you looked at Asahi, you were so head-over-heels for the boy that you couldn't even lie to yourself anymore. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Your My Boyfriend Now!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> <strong>It might not be for a while but when you find them, you’ll know...</strong> </em>
</p><p>Cheers echoed throughout the gym. The clapping of hands roared as the Karasuno team claimed their victory. Squeaking shoes glided across the floor as the boys made their way over to the net to shake the hands of their opponents. Out of respect, the boys went to the stands and bowed in thanks to their supporters who came to cheer for them. The air was filled with excitement as Karasuno walked to the bench, congratulating each other on the win. They were moving on to the next round and they were pumped to take on their next challenger. </p><p>Hinata and Kageyama arrived at the bench first. You gave Hinata a high five for him scoring the winning point. “Good job out there!”</p><p>“Thank you Y/N!”, he smiled. “I hope Kenma makes it to the next round so I can play against him!” <br/> <br/>Tanaka and Nishinoya made their way to the bench and you fist-bumped them. “I saw you guys out there, good job!” </p><p>“Thank you, thank you”, Nishinoya flaunted. <br/>“See? I told you I was cool!”, Tanaka shouted.</p><p>“Fine Tanaka you win, you’re cool”, you sighed. Tanaka laughed and walked over to Kiyoko who gave him a celebratory high-five. </p><p>You congratulated the other boys on the team and when Daichi and Sugawara walked up to you, you held out your hands for them to slap with theirs.</p><p>“Come on, give me some!”, you yelled. </p><p>Daichi low-fived you and Sugawara wound up his arm like he was powering up. “Suga, don’t do it too hard!”, Daichi scolded.</p><p>“No, give me everything you got!” You didn’t expect Sugawara to hit you too hard because he was a setter but were surprised when your hand stung after his hand left yours.</p><p>“Oh wow, that was something”, you winced in pain.</p><p>“I’m sorry, are you OK?”, Sugawara asked. </p><p>“No I’m fine, I told you to give me everything you got...and you did…”</p><p>Daichi and Sugawara walked away and the last one left was Asahi. He was redoing his bun and his anatomy in that position was like the one of a Greek god. You saw him walking towards you and the pain in your hand vanished. Your lower body had a mind of its own and started moving towards Asahi. You were so proud of him, you had to show him, you had to tell him, you had to. You’ve suppressed your fondness of Asahi for so long that it overflowed like a fountain and you didn’t want to shut it off. </p><p>“Asahi!” Asahi looked up to see you charging at him full speed. He panicked but his hands automatically wrapped around you when you jumped on top of him. “You did so well!” </p><p>“Hey! All we got were high-fives, how come he gets a hug?”, Hinata cried out. Sugawara covered his mouth so everyone could eavesdrop on the conversation you and Asahi were about to have.</p><p>He went from panic to calm when he held you in his arms. You looked at him smiling from ear to ear. He wanted to hold you like that forever but he felt you pulling away so he let go. “Oh, thanks Y/N.”</p><p>“I can’t believe they booed you! You're lucky there’s a lot of witnesses here because I would have- You know what, it doesn't even matter. After all, that spike during the second quarter was amazing!” </p><p>When you talked about Asahi, Asahi started to tingle all over. Other than Nishinoya, no one has ever talked about him like that, let alone a girl. The uncontrollable feeling of wanting to place his lips on yours took over him but was blocked by his fear of going for it. He didn’t want to rush things, but he knew you liked him, but he didn’t want things to go like last time. His lips trembled and the moment was right. Asahi was a race car revving up his engine, waiting for you to give him the green light. </p><p>“Like I was watching you out there and I was like "I’m so in love with him" and I-”</p><p>You gasped and slapped your hand on your mouth before any more words slipped out. <br/>“Did I just say that out loud?” </p><p>The boys, Coach Ukai and Takeda choked as they watched you accidentally confess your feelings for Asahi. Everyone was surprised that it was happening except Kiyoko. She smiled because she knew you were going to burst at some point. Asahi stood in shock that you read his mind while you blushed uncontrollably at the words that fell out of your mouth.<br/>“Um well, I- OK wait I meant- well I do but-”</p><p>In an instant, in a blink of an eye, you realized that you weren’t talking anymore. A hand was moving around your waist and another across your cheek. Warm, trembling lips met yours most passionately but you weren’t startled, you felt welcomed by them. Your body knew what to do and it fell into line like a dancer during a choreographed number. You grabbed his back as your eyebrows raised and fell while your other hand grabbed the back of his neck. Asahi was glad his kiss was reciprocated and glad he read the green light when it presented itself in front of him. Time felt like it stopped, gravity felt like it didn’t exist, it was just you two experiencing what it felt like to finally get what they were chasing after. The feeling of long-awaited romance.</p><p>The adrenaline slowly started to fade as the two of you released each other's lips and opened your eyes. You and Asahi looked at each other with blissfulness and were blown away by the intensity of that one kiss. Everything was fine until you touched your lips and realized that Asahi had kissed you. “Oh my God! No!”, you yelled, shell shocked that Asahi beat you to it.</p><p>Asahi became terrified because after you kissed him the first thing you said was “No”. “What?!? I-I sorry I thought you wanted to...I said I would wait I’m sorry Y/N-”</p><p>You didn’t want to give Asahi the wrong idea so you kissed him again. Asahi’s eyebrows remained raised as you pulled away and said, “I said no because I wanted to kiss you first!” Asahi swooned over the mutual want to kiss each other and he nervously pulled on his jersey. </p><p>“But we will talk about this later! I can’t believe you did this in front of everyone!”, you shouted as you looked around. There were people in the stands above you shouting “so cute” and “aww”. You two were so embarrassed but especially Asahi who had used the courage that Daichi and Sugawara had instilled in him. You pushed Asahi towards the bench to go with the other boys and he snapped out of his trance, progressively blushing as he realized what he had done. The flustered boy sat on the bench and everyone looked at him with the most surprised looks on their faces. </p><p>“OH MY GOD, ASAHI!!!”</p><p>Everyone screamed and tackled Asahi because he finally broke the tension between you and him. You watched as Asahi was drowned in questions and the commotion of the boys congratulating him for kissing you. Hinata and Kageyama were a little confused but joined in anyway due to the rush of adrenaline. Tsukishima shook his head and continued packing up his back so he could leave the gym. </p><p>As you watched the confusion of everything happening at once, you folded your lips inside your mouth and laughed.</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Poor Asahi...</strong> </em>
</p><p>- - -</p><p>After the game, the team went back to the hotel to watch the footage of the game. The tournament was being broadcasted on a sports channel and the boys sat in front of the TV to see themselves playing in the match. Everyone laughed and pointed at the TV when they came on the screen and Coach Ukai smiled at his champions enjoying their victory. When Asahi came on the screen, they got a shot of him concentrating really hard and the other boys laughed. </p><p>“Asahi, it looks like you just killed someone!”, Nishinoya laughed.</p><p>“Ugh, why did they have to get a shot of me like that?!?”, Asahi cried.</p><p>Daichi laughed and folded his arms. “You look scary, but in a good way.”</p><p>“Thanks…”, Asahi said sarcastically.</p><p>There was more footage of the boys and a clip of Kiyoko came on the screen. “Look at Kiyoko! So pretty…”, Tanaka gushed. </p><p>“My glasses look like they are about to fall off”, Kiyoko pointed out. Everyone laughed and the TV cut to a shot of Hinata scoring the winning point. </p><p>“That’s me! That’s me!”, Hinata yelled. His eyes twinkled as he saw himself on a sports channel just like the Little Giant. Another shot came on the screen and Kageyama was in it as well. </p><p>“Aw man, Kageyama’s in the way”, Hinata said, disappointed that he wasn’t by himself in this one. <br/> <br/>“Hinata shut up! I made the shot look better!”, Kayegama barked. </p><p>You guys continued watching the program and it showed a clip of the boys winning the match. They were smiling and cheering and you thought it was the cutest thing.</p><p>“Inarizaki lost to Karasuno in a close 3-set match and Karasuno will be moving on to the next round.”, the sports moderator on the TV said. The camera then panned over to the bench and you saw yourself on the TV screen.</p><p>“Oh look it’s me!”, you shouted. </p><p>“I guess number 3 of the Karasuno team is very excited to move on to the next round!”, the moderator laughed. The TV program proceeded to show a clip of Asahi grabbing you by your waist and kissing you. Music that you would hear playing on a romance show started coming from the TV and you became horrified that they played that clip on television. Your whole face got red and you planted it in your hands. You curled into a ball and started saying, “NO NO NO! I can’t believe they caught that! I’m gonna sue them and burn that footage!”</p><p>Everyone started laughing and oohing at the love birds of the Karasuno team. “You did kiss at a national tournament with thousands of people and in front of a live camera crew”, Tsukishima stated. </p><p>Asahi sat frozen and played the clip over and over in his mind. “It’s not what it looks like!”, he yelled.</p><p>“Yeah...sure it doesn’t”, Coach Ukai said. The channel cut to a commercial and everyone in the room turned their attention to you and Asahi. “Soooo...how long has this been going on for?”</p><p>“Not that long but guys stop...I don’t wanna talk about this right now!”, you said, avoiding eye contact with the eyes that were on you.</p><p>“No no, you're gonna talk! You don’t understand how frustrating it was watching you guys go back and forth, trying to hide it but it was so painfully obvious...and you wonder why I smoke!”<br/>All the boys nodded and Coach Ukai squinted his eyes at Asahi. “And you, young man! I’m glad you finally got the balls to kiss her! I thought you never would!”</p><p>Coach Ukai pointed his pen into Asahi’s chest and Asahi backed away from him. “I think it was just in the heat of the moment but I- oh my god this is so embarrassing.”</p><p>“Wait, Y/N has a crush on Asahi?!?”, Hinata shouted. He finally got the hint and everything made sense to him now. “I didn’t know you were into guys like him- OW!” Tsukishima hit in on the head for saying that out loud. </p><p>Asahi fainted because of what Hinata said and you caught him before he fell backward. “Stop it, you're gonna kill him!”, you yelled. Everyone backed up to give you two some space. </p><p>“The cat’s out of the bag, yes we like each other! I’ve liked him ever since we started walking home together and yes I should have admitted it sooner but I will answer all your questions right now so you can stop asking me!” You took a deep breath as you prepared what you were going to say. </p><p>“Yes I like him, yes I wanna be with him, and yes we kiss on the lips!”, you said looking at Daichi, answering the question he asked the night of his birthday party. </p><p>You shook Asahi to wake him up from his fainted state. “Now you...you’re my boyfriend now! OK?!?”<br/>Asahi blushed and shook his head twice. “Yes Ma’am!”</p><p>“Yay! Now we’re dating! DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS?!?” </p><p>Silence buzzed around the room and everyone was still as a statue. </p><p>“Great! Now that I answered everyone’s questions I’m going back to my room!” You got up from the floor and opened the door. “GOODNIGHT!”</p><p>The door slammed shut and everyone blinked their eyes at what just happened. “Well I guess we know who wears the pants”, Coach Ukai said. </p><p>Karasuno ended up playing Nekoma in the next round of Nationals. They won that match but in the next one they lost. They were sad but they reflected on the game, taking everything they had done into consideration. Coach Ukai took the team out to dinner and everyone ate together enjoying each other's company. As Coach Ukai finished his ramen, he wiped his mouth and clinked his glass with a knife. </p><p>“I wanted to make an announcement. As you all know that was the last game the third years will play in high school and I just want to give a toast to our amazing coach Daichi, our vice captain Sugawara, our ace Asahi, our lovely Kiyoko, and last but certainly not least, our lovely Y/N. Thank you guys for staying on the team this long and I wish you all the best.” Coach Ukai looked at his third-years and fought back the tears in his eyes. Everyone smiled and lifted their glasses. “Ahem...uh, Cheers!”</p><p>“Cheers!”</p><p>You enjoyed your time as a manager for the Karasuno Volleyball team but it was slowly coming to an end. You ate your rice and tears started falling down your cheek. </p><p>“Y/N, are you OK?”, Sugawara asked.</p><p>“I don’t wanna go! I just got here and now it’s all over!”, you cried. You wiped your tears and laughed, looking at everyone in the room. “I’m gonna miss you guys!”</p><p>“I’m gonna miss you too, Y/N!”, Hinata said walking over and hugging you. Everyone laughed at Hinata’s pureness and enjoyed the moments they had left with the third years.</p><p>After dinner, Coach Ukai drove everyone back to school and the third years had one last volleyball game before they would graduate. Sugawara, Kiyoko and Asahi were a team, and you and Daichi were a team. At one point in the game, Asahi tried to block your spike but it broke through and you scored a point for your team. </p><p>“Oh yeah! Come on Asahi, give me a challenge here or it wouldn’t be any fun, now would it?”</p><p>Your smack talked struck Asahi right through the heart and he curled up into the corner to sulk. “I don’t wanna play anymore...”</p><p>“Asahi come back, I’m sorry!”</p><p>You and Daichi ended up winning and you flaunted your victory in front of the other team. You danced and taunted Kiyoko and Asahi who laughed at your gloating. “OK Y/N, we get it you won”, Sugawara grumbled. </p><p>After the game, Coach Ukai locked up the gym and you all went your separate ways. You and Asahi waved your friends goodbye and started heading home per usual, but this time was different. You remembered back at the hotel room during Nationals, you basically told Asahi that he was your boyfriend now. It was in the heat of the moment and you wanted people to stop questioning you but you weren’t joking when you said it. After everything, after he kissed you so forwardly, you had to make him your boyfriend in the same way.</p><p>I hope he doesn’t think I bullied him into this relationship...like he doesn’t have a choice in the matter. But OH MY GOD! Did you see how he just grabbed me and kissed me?!?! IN FRONT OF EVERYONE?!?! I don’t know who this Asahi is but I like him…but I also love my shy, “I’m freaking out cuz you’re looking me in the eyes” Asahi...I just love him! I want him to know how much I love him.</p><p>“Hey Y/N? Can I ask you something?” You stopped and noticed that Asahi had stopped walking. He darted his head from you to the ground and was both grateful and regretful that he had gotten your attention. </p><p>“Yes, what is it?”, you said, walking towards him. His nervous aura grew around you and you started sweating as if you were in Asahi’s shoes.</p><p>“Today has been really crazy and I was just so happy that we won the game so when I saw you I just went in and kissed you and boy was that something!”, he nervously laughed. You laughed along with him and fiddled with your fingers as Ashi continued. </p><p>“Um...thank you for kissing me back...oh god that was so stupid”, he mummbled under his breath. “THE KISS WASN’T STUPID! What I just said was...anyway, when we were with everyone and you yelled at me that I’m your boyfriend now...um, did you just say that to shut everyone up or did you mean that?...and also...well…I-I LOVE YOU! BUT IF YOU DON’T THAT’S FINE...well you did kiss me back...but you can kiss someone without loving them, but I kissed you because you said “I’m in love with him” and him is me-”</p><p>You drowned in Asahi’s words that were pouring out of his mouth. You figured that Asahi’s adrenaline rush was the main reason for the spontaneous kiss and now since he was back down to Earth, he was analyzing everything again. </p><p>
  <em> <strong>I guess Asahi has come down from his adrenaline high…</strong> </em>
</p><p>“Asahi, Asahi hey, look at me”, you said, focusing his attention on you. “We have to talk about this because I’m freaking out too. Can we sit and I will answer your question?”</p><p>Asahi nodded his head and you guys walked to a park in your neighborhood and sat on a bench. The sun was setting and there was a great view of the sunset from where you were sitting. Asahi apologized for freaking out but held his breath for your answer. </p><p>“Asahi, I have been hiding my crush for a long time and I’m just wondering what took you so long. I mean everyone said they knew but you were walking around without a clue!” Asahi chuckled and you grabbed his hand. “But everything I said today wasn’t a joke and it wasn’t a lie. I-I..um..Ahem wow um I can’t believe I’m saying this but...I love..you. I love you...and I have for a while and I know I yelled “you’re my boyfriend now” but I think it would be more appropriate to ask you…”</p><p>Asahi's eyes sparkled as he prepared for you to ask the “question”. “Would...you like to be my...boyfriend?”</p><p>Your hands started to sweat and your bottom lip trembled. You were so nervous that you scared him with your forward way of asking him to be your boyfriend that he was gonna be scared to say “no” even if  he really wanted to. You wanted Asahi to make the conscious decision to agree or disagree with the offer on the table. You prepared yourself for the rejection when you felt Asahi place his hand on top of yours. </p><p>“Y/N, uh...I’m sorry I just can’t believe this is happening right now I-”, Asahi laughed. “Yes...I would love to be your boyfriend!” You gasped and smiled at Asahi, processing the fact that Asahi accepted the offer and is now your boyfriend. “I actually wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend but it seems like you beat me to it...Oh, I’ll just ask you now since I already said yes to your question. Ahem...will you be my girlfriend?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Ack!”, Asahi choked. You held a straight face then bursted out into laughter. “I’m kidding! Yes, I would love to be your girlfriend!”</p><p>“You’re gonna give me a heart attack one of these days”, Asahi sighed. </p><p>So as of that moment, it was official. You and Asahi were now dating. Finally, atlast.</p><p>“But can we talk about that kiss?!? What was that, Asahi?”, you asked, poking Asahi repeatedly in the arm. </p><p>“Do you know how long I wanted to do that?” You looked into Asahi’s eyes and watched as his pupils dilated. </p><p>“We’ve been friends for eight months and I’ve had feelings for you ever since we met and I just wanted to wait for the right moment because my friendship with you is so important to me. You make me feel so happy and I just love when we hang out and spend time together, especially the dates we went on recently. I’ve never felt this way about anyone and I had to do it, even if that met possibly ruining our friendship. Y/N, I’m in love with you, and that kiss was so worth the wait.”</p><p>For the first time, you felt cherished. He had cherished you like the treasure you were. </p><p>
  <strong> <em>I found him...I found him, Mom…</em> </strong>
</p><p>“Asahi...”, you whispered, grabbing the side of his face. You tucked a piece of hair behind his ear and looked into his eyes then his lips. Your heart beat fast as you gazed in Asahi’s eyes longing for your lips to touch. They were moisturized and their warmth drew you in closer. You leaned in and kissed Asahi as sparks flew around you. Asahi inched his hand around your waist and pulled you into him. He wanted to be as close as possible as he shared this kiss with you. You placed your hand on his chest and felt a vigorous heartbeat bouncing off the palm of your hand. As you tilted your head the other way to go in for another kiss, trembling breath danced onto your lips and left shivers down your spine. You thought Asahi wouldn’t want to do this in public but his body language signaled to you that he didn’t care, he just wanted you.</p><p>You swung your arm around Asahi’s neck and pulled him in tenderly as he grabbed your face with his two hands and pulled away to get a look at you. His hand cupped your cheek and he smiled before going back in for more. Stunned by this boy who had never been in a relationship before, you wondered how he was so good. How did your lips fall into place so nicely, how was it so good and the right amount of gentleness and angst. You realized it was because he found comfort in you. He knew there was no judgment, the one thing he feared, and jammed easily to your tune.</p><p>Asahi and you finally ended the kissing fest and blushed immensely at one another. Asahi rubbed his lips together and placed his hands on his lap. “I guess we got a little carried away…”</p><p>“I think I like getting carried away then.”</p><p>For the rest of the walk home, you and Asahi held hands. You apologized for them being sweaty but Asahi was more than thrilled to hold your hand to notice. Even though he wanted to hold your hand, Asahi was shaking due to the fact that he was holding his girlfriend's hand. He couldn’t believe it and neither could you. </p><p>“This is me”, you joked, pointing to your house. You and Asahi were still holding hands and Asahi let go realizing the moment was over. He pouted because you had to leave and you grabbed both of his hands in yours. “Aw don’t worry, there will be many opportunities for you to hold my hand, I promise!”</p><p>“Well, I’m glad there will be'', Asahi laughed. He looked you up and down, getting a good look at his girlfriend before you went inside. He couldn’t have loved you any more than he did at that moment. “See you on Friday?”</p><p>“Sounds good! See you on Friday.” Asahi leaned down to kiss you and stared at you wanting another one. “Fine...you can have another one”, you said rolling your eyes.</p><p>You giggled and he kissed you one, two, three times and finally bid his adieu. “Text me when you get home...I love you!”</p><p>Hairs on Asahi’s body stood up as he heard you yell those words from your doorstep. He turned around to see you trying to be tough after you just yelled “I love you” outloud in your quiet neighborhood. </p><p>“I love you too Y/N! I will!” When Asahi said “I love you” and your name in the same sentence, it  was music to your ears.</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Aw man...I’m in love…</strong> </em>
</p><p>“Hey Mom! I’m home!’ You walked into your house and your mom was in the kitchen cooking on the stove.</p><p>“Hey honey!”, she said. She kissed you on the forehead and gave you some food to taste. “How was Nationals? I know they didn’t win but did you guys have fun?”</p><p>“Yeah we did. They made it to the third round so that was cool but yeah, it’s the last game I will manage because I’m graduating...it’s so crazy! I feel like we just moved here and now I’m graduating!”</p><p>“Aw, my little baby’s growing up!”, your mom said, squeezing you in her arms. “Where did the years go? You’re gonna go to college soon and speak of college, did you hear anything yet?</p><p>“I got into a local college around here but I haven’t heard anything from any other schools.”</p><p>Your mom nodded her head and you started heading for your room. “So...how’s Asahi? How is he dooooing?”</p><p>“Oh, you mean my boyfriend? He’s good.” You walked into your room and shut the door. </p><p>Your mom spit out the food that she was tasting and blinked her eyes in shock. “BOYFRIEND?!?!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. I Love Him!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Will that be cash or card, ma’am?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cash”, the woman said, placing bills into your hand and sprinkling change on top.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You rang the woman up and handed her the items that you bagged. “Thank you and have a good day!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The woman smiled at you and walked out of the store. The sliding doors beeped as they closed and Coach Ukai walked out from the back room. “You know you don’t have to be so formal, asking for cash or card. It’s a convenient store, not a restaurant.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know Coach, but still.” You leaned on the counter and tracked your eyes on your boss that was carrying boxes of merchandise. He dropped the boxes he was holding on the floor and turned around with an annoyed look on his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“For the last time, it’s Ukai! You’ve graduated, I’m not your Coach anymore.” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and shook them against the palm of his hand. “Call me Coach again and I’ll make you clean out the freezer!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You shuddered at the threat and shook your head, heeding his warning. “OK got it, Co- Ukai!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ukai laughed and nudged his head towards the door. “I’ll be right back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, take your time. It’s getting real crowded in here anyway”, you shouted sarcastically because there were no people in the store. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You sighed heavily as you listened to the buzzing of the refrigerators that were filling the silence. You couldn’t stand the boring atmosphere so you went on a hunt to find something to do. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure there’s something I can do around here...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After Nationals, you and the third-years graduated. The ceremony was sweet and you said goodbye to Karasuno who you had spent such a small amount of time with. You said goodbye to your math teacher who wished you the best and made your way to your friends in your homeroom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You just got here and now we have to say goodbye! I’m gonna miss you, Y/N!”, your friends said. You all group hugged and you were grateful for the time you had spent with them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Guys, don’t worry! I'm not going far. We’ll hang out, I promise!”, you laughed, hugging them tightly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi, Sugawara, Asahi, and Kiyoko came out of a classroom and saw you hugging your friends goodbye. Sugawara gestured to you to come and you released from the hug to start walking over. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Goodbye! Stay out of trouble!”, you yelled, waving goodbye and walking over to the group. You wiped your watering eyes and sniffed, mourning the death of your highschool life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here”, Asahi said, handing you a tissue packet from his pocket. You laughed and accepted it wholeheartedly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks bubs”, you smiled. You stretched up and kissed Asahi on his cheek. “OK I promise I won’t cry when we say goodbye to the boys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep”, Daichi stated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I’m gonna miss them so much!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You grabbed Asahi’s arm as you, Daichi, Kiyoko, Sugawara, and him walked down the stairs to go to the gym. Your friends, who had watched you kiss Asahi on the cheek, stood in shock that you and the “guy in high school for five years” were dating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I still can’t believe Y/N is dating Azumane. I didn’t know she was into older guys- OW!”, one of your friends said, getting punched in the shoulder by another girl. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s our age!”, the girl said. “And that’s Y/N’s boyfriend, so have some respect!’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All the girls nodded their heads as they watched you walking with your new boyfriend. Happiness is all they wished for you and that wish was granted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“DON’T GOOOO! PLEASEEE!!” Nishinoya grabbed onto Asahi’s leg to prevent him from leaving the gym. After you and the third-years gave a thank you speech about being on the team, it was time to finally say goodbye.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nishi I’ve gotta go, can you let go please?”, Asahi laughed while dragging the uncooperative boy on his leg towards the door. Nishinoya shook his head “no” and dropped all his body weight on Asahi's leg. Asahi stumbled forward and looked down at his friend who was holding on for dear life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Noya c’mon…they have to go…”, Tanaka said. Nishinoya looked up with tears in his eyes and let go of Asahi. He walked over to Tanaka and pouted. “I don’t want them to go…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well we have to, but I’m staying home so I promise to come to games when I can”, you smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You promise?”, Hinata mumbled, lips shaking from sadness because you were leaving. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You walked over to him and put out your pinky. “I promise.” Hinata accepted your pinky promise and smiled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But you have to promise me when you make it to the Olympics, you send me tickets. Deal?” Hinata still intertwining pinkies with you nodded his head and sealed another promise with you. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright!” You ruffled him on the head and started heading out of the gym. Daichi and Sugawara said goodbye to Coach Ukai and thanked him for giving them the roles as captain and vice captain. Asahi hugged Nishinoya and told him that he will visit when he can. Coach Ukai thanked Kiyoko and you for helping out with the team and you thanked him for allowing you to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tanaka walked up to Kiyoko and bowed in front of her. “T-Thank you for being our manager! And also thank you for letting me carry your bag!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re welcome”, Kiyoko smiled. Kiyoko walked over to a blond girl that was standing next to Yamaguchi and grabbed her hands. “I’m trusting you to take care of them, OK?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl's name was Yachi and she was the first year that Kiyoko handed the torch of “manager" to. She became flushed because Kiyoko was holding her hands and fumbled her words. “Uh- yes I will do my-my best!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kiyoko smiled and started heading to where you and the other third years were standing. Daichi, Sugawara, Asahi, Kiyoko and you waved to your underclassmen and started to walk away, leaving highschool behind and walking into your futures.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was now springtime and things were going well for you and the third-years. Daichi was training in the police force, Sugawara was in college majoring in education, Kiyoko was an employee at a sports store, Asahi was attending fashion school in Tokyo and you were staying at home attending a college with a major in biology. You had a lot of free time and since it was nearby, you decided to work at Ukai’s store. Back when you were in school, you always used to hear him complaining about working at the shop by himself so you thought that you should go work for him. You already helped him out with the volleyball team, so he saw no problem in employing you at his store. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ukai put out his cigarette and came inside to see you stacking chips onto the shelves. He smiled at his helper that was going above and beyond during their shift. “You’re that bored that you want to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> work?”, Ukai joked walking behind the counter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You set the last bag of chips on the shelf and placed the empty boxes near the back door. “It’s a slow day today, I had to do something or I would grow a beard waiting for a customer to come in!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You walked behind the counter and sat on the other chair next to Ukai’s. It was during the day and the shop was usually empty around this time. You unwrapped a candy you had in your pocket and tossed it into your mouth while offering one to your boss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you”, he said, unwrapping the sweet and tossing it into his mouth. “How school?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“School’s good. I go back to classes next week but I’m glad I could help around here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s good, that’s good.”, Ukai said. He paused for a moment and looked at you with a sly look on his face. You knew that a question about your boyfriend Asahi was coming up so you waited for it to arrive. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ukai raised and lowered his eyebrows and put his hand on his chin. “How’s the boyfriend doing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s good…”, you said rolling your eyes. “Actually, he made me a shirt in his sewing class the other day and he’s really good, look!” You pulled out your phone and showed him a picture of you wearing the shirt Asahi had designed and made. Ukai nodded his head and was genuinely impressed that the former Ace of the Karasuno volleyball team was now enrolled in fashion school.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The boy’s got talent! I tell you that boy...he’s the definition of ”don't judge a book by its cover.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right?!? In school, people were spreading rumors about him “selling illegal substances” and having people “take care of business” for him just because of how scary he looks, but he’s such a softie. That’s one of the things I love about him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Your lock screen was a picture of you and Asahi from a date you went on a week ago. You stared at it for a little and smiled because it was your favorite picture of you and your boyfriend. You were surprised that you were in a relationship right now but with Asahi, everything just made sense. Even though you only got to see each other once a week, your relationship was stronger than ever and nothing could tear you apart.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ukai watched as you fangirled over the picture of you and Asahi and gagged. “OK, OK, we get it, you’re in love!...but no, I’m happy for you guys. At least you don’t have your parents down your neck about tying the knot soon and pumping out babies!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ukai huffed and you laughed at his frustration. “I mean you are in your early twenties...I’m sure there is some girl out there that will fall in love with you and wanna get married, hey, maybe she will even be OK with you smoking. Some women find that attractive.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ukai grabbed you by the shoulder with desperation when you told him that smoking was a turn-on. “Where is this woman you speak of?!? I need a name, an address, anything!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You laughed at him as he pushed his hair back and collected himself. “I hope you're not kidding because I need someone to bring home and fast!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>BEEP BOOP</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A man wearing a satin olive shirt with a white t-shirt underneath and white joggers walked in the store. He had a bag slung across his body and was carrying a bouquet in his hand. Coach Ukai and you prepared yourself to welcome a customer but recognized the familiar face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, handsome!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey sweetheart, how are you?” You ran out from behind the counter and kissed Asahi. You hugged him and he held you around your waist as you rested your chin on his chest. “How was work?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was good, I’m good what- what are you doing here? I thought you had a busy week!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My classes got canceled today so I thought I should stop by and say hello”, Asahi smiled, rubbing the back of his neck for showing up unannounced. “Oh, these are for you. There’s nothing special going on today but I just wanted to get you something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He handed you the flowers and you gasped at their beauty. “Babe! Thank you, they’re so pretty!” You kissed Asahi on the cheek and he beamed with glee that you loved the flowers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Asahi, long time no see!”, Ukai said. “How are you doing man?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m good, everything’s good”, Asahi responded, giving his former coach a fist bump. “I thought life after high school was going to be scary, but it really isn’t. I’ve got an apartment not too far from the school so everything worked out perfectly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s good to hear.” Ukai looked over to you refilling coins into the tray of the register. “Y/N, he’s obviously here to pick you up for a date, go clock out for the day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I still have to clean up the-” You looked up from what you were doing to see Asahi blushing and your boss shooing you to get ready.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! OK”, you shouted, undoing your apron. “I’ll just be a minute!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You grabbed your flowers that Asahi had given you and hugged them close to your chest, burying your face in their sweet aroma. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>I love him...Oh my God I love him!</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You finished clocking out and ran out with your bag and the flowers in your hand. “Sorry you had to wait.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s OK. You have everything?”, Asahi asked. You shook your head and grabbed his arm as he headed for the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Boss! I’ll see you when I have my next break!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright have fun!”, Ukai smiled. The sliding doors beep and he smiled as he watched the two lovebirds outside full of youth and happiness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Asahi seriously, it’s fine that you didn’t call, that's the whole point of a surprise!”, you giggled. “And these flowers are gorgeous! I’ll keep them even when they die, I’ll put them in resin and make an art piece out of them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I'm glad you like them.” Asahi grabbed your hand and interlocked his fingers with yours. He swung your hand in his back and forth as you walked down the road. You noticed that he was swinging your hand and snickered at how happy he looked. “What? Why are you laughing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You controlled your laughter and said,” I didn’t know you were so in love with me that you are happily swinging our hands while we walk!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi let go of your hand because you called him out. “I mean- I didn’t mean to- you know what-” He started to walk away in embarrassment but you ran up to him and grabbed his arm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Asahi, baby! I was just kidding!” You held his hand and swung it back and forth. “We can swing hands as much as you want.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You started walking and Asahi dragged along. “You’re always joking…”, he pouted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so glad you came, I’m starving! But wherever you're taking me, I’m paying. You paid last time.” Asahi tried to argue with you but you cut him off. “No buts! I don’t care what you say I’m paying!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine”, Asahi pouted some more. He was always doing things for you and you wanted to do the same for him. You thought it was so cute when you stopped him from spoiling you and he would pout. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re literally the cutest thing…”, you swooned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am? Well, I’m glad you think so!” Asahi pulled you in and kissed you on the forehead. You squealed from the kiss and lightly grabbed his chin with your free hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>I love him!</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Since Asahi was in Tokyo, you two were basically in a long-distance relationship. You both were busy with school and work so any free time you got you spent it together. You would hang out with your friends sometimes but when you had the weekend to yourself, you would take a train to Tokyo and hang out with your boyfriend. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>April</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You arrived at Asahi’s apartment and were greeted by your boyfriend. He kissed you in relief and welcomed you inside. He covered your eyes with his hands and walked you down the hallway of his living quarters. “Y/N, make sure your eyes are closed!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing? I can’t see, I might fall!”, you screamed as you stumbled without sight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just a little bit longer…” Asahi led you some more into his living room and finally stopped. “I think you're gonna love this...OK, open your eyes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He unveiled his hands from your eyes and you opened them to see a blanket fort in the middle of the apartment. You gasped from amazement and cherished the hard work he put into date night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do...do you like it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is so amazing...I don’t even know what to say…”, you laughed, trying to find the words to tell Asahi how much you loved him. You kissed him all over and finished by kissing his hands tenderly. You ran into the fort and were ambushed by lights, pillows, and a computer that had a movie ready to be played. You geeked over what was in store and Asahi followed in after you. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>I love him!</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>May</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t wait to meet him Y/N!”, a girl said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Your friends from your university came along with you out to eat so you could introduce them to Asahi. Asahi had picked you up from school before but they never got the chance to meet him. They all sat at the booth filled with excitement as they waited for the mystery man to arrive. You waved to someone at the entrance of the restaurant and a man wearing long orange dress pants and a muscle tee walked up to the table and smiled warmly. You greeted Asahi and you began to introduce him to your friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is my boyfriend Asahi. Asahi these are my friends!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s nice to meet you!”, he said politely.</span>
</p>
<p><span>You were expecting them to comment on how he looked older or he was “scary looking” but they gasped with excitement that they finally got to meet the guy you were always talking about. “Jesus Y/N, you could have told us that he was</span> <span>smoking hot!”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey back off, he’s mine!” You joked. Asahi sat down next to you and wrapped his hand around your arm due to the forward compliment. He couldn’t believe that his girlfriend talks about him to her friends and her friends actually like him. He felt his nerves calm as you touched his hand, assuring him that everything was going to be OK. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, but I tell him that all the time. I got lucky with this one, I swear.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Plates of food filled the table as you, Asahi, and your friends laughed about how they got to know you. Asahi began to talk about the first time you and him met and the walk you shared together that night. Your friends could tell that Asahi loved you and every word from his mouth confirmed that. Asahi looked back at you when he was talking about how he adored your laugh and you melted at your boyfriend’s profession of adoration. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>God, I love him!</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After eating and talking with your friends, you parted ways and started walking Asahi to his house. Asahi was spending the weekend at his house and you wanted to say hello to his mom before you went home. You went inside and his mom greeted you with a hug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello sweetie, how are you? I’ve missed you so much, I feel like I don’t see you anymore!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your son is standing right here!”, Asahi yelled. “You haven’t seen me in weeks!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course I miss you, but is it a crime to miss my son’s girlfriend?”, Asahi’s mom said, hugging you even tighter. You stuck your tongue out at Asahi, taunting him because his mother loved you more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I'm going home!”Asahi protested. You and his mom laughed and she hugged her son, apologizing for teasing him. He kissed his mom and hugged her like he never wanted to let her go. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>I love this boy so much!</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>June</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Summer had arrived and everyone was home for vacation. Yesterday you had just come from a game at Karasuno and today you were going to the beach. Having finished putting on your clothes, you grabbed your beach bag and hurried outside to meet the people accompanying  you to the beach. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hurry up!” Daichi yelled. “I ain’t got all day!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re spending the whole day at the beach...”, you snarled, closing your front door behind you. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi, Sugawara, and Kiyoko were sitting in the car as you ran down your steps and headed for the trunk. Daichi got out of the driver's seat and made his way toward you with the keys in his hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sweet ride dude!”, you said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi slapped the top of the car and looked it up and down. “Yeah, she is…I’ve been saving up for it and I finally got it last week.” You nodded your head as you looked at the car and Daichi hugged you because he hasn’t seen you since graduation. “I’ve missed you so much! How are you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m good! How are you, Mr.Protector-Of-The-Law?”, you said as your friend laughed. Daichi opened the trunk of the car and you put your bag inside. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Training is going well. I’m at the top of my class and I’m going to get my badge soon, so yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look at you! That’s great!”, you exclaimed. “Asahi said that he should be here in a second so-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Daichi!”, a voice yelled from down the block that was Asahi, wearing an Hawaiian shirt and red shorts, as he waved to his friend. Kiyoko and Sugawara got out of the car and greeted you as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y/N! It’s been too long!”, Sugawara said. You hugged him and laughed. “It’s only been four months!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well it felt like longer!”, he giggled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kiyoko!”, you said with a smile, hugging Kiyoko.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s great to see you again”, she said cheerfully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi and Daichi ended their hug by slapping each other's backs in union and Asahi hugged the two that he hadn’t greeted yet. Asahi put his beach bag in the trunk and made his way to the passenger seat. You climbed into the back seat and were sandwiched between Kiyoko and Sugawara. Daichi got behind the wheel and looked in the rearview mirror.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seat belts everyone!”, he sang. Everyone simultaneously clicked their seatbelt in and sat ready to go. “Alrighty...To the beach!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>- - - </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“OK, that’s all the bags”, Daichi said, slamming the trunk as he handed Sugawara his beach bag.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugawara thanked Daichi and you all walked towards the crashing waves in the distance. The sea breeze was blowing in your direction and you could smell the saltwater as you walked closer to the beach. When the concrete was no more, you took off your shoes and dug your feet into the sand with every step. A trip to the beach was long-awaited and you were glad to spend it with friends who you haven’t seen in a while.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone joined in and started to set up the beach chairs, umbrellas, and beach blankets. Daichi was upset because he was struggling with opening the umbrellas but Kiyoko got it open in one go. Asahi carried the last chair and opened it up for you to sit on. After the beach equipment was all set up, Sugawara opened the ice cooler and handed everyone cold bottles of water. You all drank in dehydration from working in the hot heat and the boys began taking off their shirts from the humidity. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi's ripped bod glistened in the sun and you gasped in amazement at how his training crafted him. Daichi laughed and smirked at your astonishment. “You can touch it if you want.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You playfully smirked back at him while you grazed your fingertips along his abdomen. “That police training sure paid off, didn’t it?”, you giggled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about these babies, huh?”, Sugawara announced, displaying his arms for you to inspect. You were stunned at how the lean boy was packing in the bicep department. It caught you by surprise and you couldn’t believe that the outward appearance of his arms had fooled you. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sugawara, have you been working out?”, you flirted. Asahi pulled his shirt over his head to see you groping his friend’s bodies and he was shocked at what he saw. Even though you would never actually do anything with his best friends, an unknown feeling of jealousy arose in him. This feeling scared him and he quickly checked himself because he knew you were just playing around. Even so, he wanted you to do that to him and only him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You saw that Asahi had finished changing and proceeded to check out the tall glass of water standing in front of you. “Oh don’t think I forgot about you!”, you said, letting go of Sugawara’s arm to fondle your boyfriend. You drew on his chest with your fingertips and tugged on the front of his shorts, pulling him in by the waistband. You put your hands on his waist, blew a raspberry on his stomach, and kissed it while looking up at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Goosebumps traveled all throughout Asahi’s body due to the affection and he blushed uncontrollably. You smiled because your teasing got to him and stood up to swing your bag on your shoulder. “Kiyoko and I are gonna go change. Let me know when the rest of the boys come.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kiyoko grabbed her bag and the two of you walked to the changing rooms that were nearby. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi grabbed the part of his stomach you kissed and stumbled over to the beach chair. You pulled on the front of his shorts and looked at him with your head so close to his…How could you do that in public then walk away like nothing ever happened?!? How were you so comfortable showing him affection in public? You never had a second thought to kiss him or touch him in front of everyone but he would have a panic attack while reaching for your hand. It angered him that he wasn’t as forward as you and you would always tease him. You would tease him with dirty jokes, you would tease him by getting real close to him and walking away, you would tease him by touching him tenderly while he was talking to someone. At that moment, Asahi brewed up a plan to get you back, to get you back for the torment that you put him through. Asahi was going to catch you by surprise and he couldn’t wait to see the look on your face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sugawara said that the rest of the boys are here”, Kiyoko said as she came out of the changing stall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“OK good! I’m all done here, you ready to go-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You turned around to see Kiyoko wearing a purple bathing suit with a beach wrap. She looks so cute in the bathing suit that you smiled widely at her. Kiyoko was confused as to why you were so excited because it was just a bathing suit and she wore that one every year, however, she thanked you for your squeals of exhilaration and commented on how good you looked in your bathing suit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh what, this?”, you laughed while looking down at what you were wearing. You had on a yellow two-piece with tassels on the side. “I wear this every year. I’m glad it still fits!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Noya slow down! You’re going to faint!”, Asahi yelled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nishinoya rapidly blew into the air floaty as it blew up into its full size. He closed the flap of the blowhole and showed Asahi that he was done. “See? I didn’t die, you worry too much!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Noya do mine!”, Hinata yelled, pushing his floaty in Nishinoya’s face. “Wait your turn!”, Kageyama shouted. “I was next!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boys started to fight and Tanaka split them up. Yamaguchi laughed at the quarrel and Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “They can’t even act civilized when they’re out of school.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll blow it up for you”, Tanaka’s sister, Saeko said. She held out her hand and gestured to Kageyama to hand her the floaty. Kageyama in defeat handed it to her and Hinata stuck out his tongue in victory. Saeko took a deep breath, blew up the floaty in one go, and handed it back to Kageyama. “There you go, kiddo! Enjoy!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kageyama flaunted his floaty in front of Hinata and Hinata frowned in disappointment because his wasn’t done. “Aww...”, he sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, guys!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone turned their heads to see you and Kiyoko walking towards them. The boys gasped as they saw the two girls, who they would usually see in tracksuits, wearing bathing suits. Kiyoko would usually feel uncomfortable having that many male eyes on her but with you walking beside her, she felt safe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The reunion of the Karasuno volleyball team had begun as everyone greeted you and Kiyoko. The third and second years were so happy to see Daichi, Sugawara, Kiyoko, Asahi, and you because they missed your presence at school. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You put Kiyoko in front of you and showcased what she was wearing. “Guys, doesn’t she look so cute?!?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes!”, the boys gushed. Kiyoko grinned and Nishinoya and Tanaka ran in front of Kiyoko and worshipped her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am not worthy of such beauty!”, Tanaka cried. Nishinoya screamed in praise as he slammed his fist in the sand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And neither are you…”, they glared at everyone. Everyone sighed at the antics that had begun as Kiyoko walked away from the boys’ nonsense. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And what about mine?”, you asked, waiting to receive the same treatment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like the color on you, Y/N”, Nishinoya said in a normal tone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“THAT’S IT?!?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone began complimenting you and you turned to your boyfriend to see what he was going to say. This was the first time he had seen you in anything revealing, so he panicked and was left without words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah...aaaaaaaah..aaaah”, Ashai moaned, trying to form words but only having sound come out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You laughed and looked down at your swimsuit. “This is an old bathing suit but I’m glad it can still make someone speechless.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi gulped and cleared his throat. “W-What I meant to say is that you look good...Y/N. I love it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you!”, you said. You put your bag down next to the others and looked at Asahi wondering why he looked frightened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi’s eyes darted all over your body and your exposed skin worried him about guys hitting on you. “Honey...erm...that bathing suit is really...um...something haha...don’t you think?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You could feel Asahi's worry grow around you and you did what you do best: reassure him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you're worried about guys hitting on me, I’ll take care of it”, you said, walking over to Asahi and grabbing him by the chin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And don't worry...I’m all yours anyway…”, you leaned down and kissed him, leaving Asahi shooting smoke out of his ears from what you said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, let’s get in the water!”, you shouted. The third-years and second year boys screamed as they ran full speed towards the water. You and Kiyoko walked together as Daichi and the rest followed behind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi’s soulless body walked along the beach as he played what you said over and over again in his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>...I’m all yours anyway...I’m all yours anyway…</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew exactly what you meant by the tone you used and his red face got five shades darker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...the girl said that she was all yours...what do you have to say to that?”, Daichi teased.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“NOTHING!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The slashing of the water on your skin. The sun glistening on the water as you peacefully floated on it. That’s all you could ask for. Total serenity. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tanaka, stop!” A yelp from the beach woke you from your peaceful float as you looked on the sand. Yamaguchi was hiding behind Tsukishima due to Tanaka and Nishinoya shoving crabs in his face. Tsukishima yelled at the boys to stop and they snickered at their efforts of making Yamaguchi terrified. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tanaka! Don’t make me get up from this chair!”, his sister yelled. The boys quickly threw the crabs away and ran into the water. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Those two...I missed them so much</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An hour later, everyone got hungry and decided to eat lunch. You had packed some sandwiches and shared them with anyone who wanted some. You offered your sandwich that you were eating to Asahi and he took a bite. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmh, this is really good!”, he said. You told him that he could eat the rest and he happily received the food.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Out of the blue, Hinata perked his head up and looked down the beach. He saw something that piqued his interest and took off to go see it. “Hinata?!? Hinata!”, you screamed. You instantly got up and chased after him out of instinct. Everyone was worried and started to run also but Tsukishima and Kayegama were late to the memo so they stayed behind. You panicked out of fear because you didn’t know why Hinata took off but was glad to see that he had stopped. When you caught up to him, he was talking to three boys whose faces you couldn’t make out because of the sun in your eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hinata! What the hell is wrong with you?!?”, you screamed, grabbing the boy by his shoulders. “Why did you just take off like that?!? Jesus, I swear you almost gave me a heart attack-” You looked at the three boys standing in front of you and realized why Hinata had sprinted off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, you’re really fast!”, Bokuto gasped. “You run track?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi Bokuto!”, you sighed in relief. “I’m glad it’s you and not some weirdo!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well are you at least glad to see me, Y/N?”, Kuroo asked, taking offense. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes! yes! I am happy to see you too! It’s been so long!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You hugged the boys and were left staring at the third boy whose name you didn’t know. You recognized his face from the training camp in Tokyo a while back but you couldn’t put your finger on what his name was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, I forgot your name. We’ve met before, right? At the Tokyo training camp?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy with short, messy black hair and blue eyes with thin pupils looked puzzled as he did not remember who you were. Bokuto knew the answer to your question and saw the opportunity to introduce the boy to you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y/N, this is my boyfriend Akaashi! You’ve seen him at games because he’s the setter for our school and the best one they’ve got!” Bokuto put his arm around the boy and he blushed from the spotlight he was put in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bokuto, you do this all the time. It’s getting old”, Akaashi said bluntly. Bokuto looked at his boyfriend with a pouty face because he loved bragging about him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! So that’s where I know you from! OK because your face was so familiar- wait...did you just say...boyfriend?” You said while pausing for a moment as the words “my boyfriend” finally registered. Bokuto proudly shook his head “yes” and you dropped your jaw. “SHUT UP! SHUT UP! I knew it! I freakin' knew it! I saw you guys at Nationals and I was like “hold up...wait a minute!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah...I’m his boyfriend…”, Akaashi said in a monotone voice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>He sounds like he’s being held hostage! </em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You looked over at Kuroo and giggled. “Third-wheeling, huh?” Kuroo shook his head in sadness and pretended to weep from being around a couple all day long. “I’ll keep you in my prayers”, you giggled some more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow...you..are fast…”, Asahi gasped in a shallow breath as he finally caught up to you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of your friends caught their breaths, panting out of exhaustion from running in the hot sand. Everyone looked at Hinata in a panic but saw the three boys, who they would regularly see on the volleyball court, shirtless on the beach. Everyone exhaled and greeted Bokuto, Kuroo and Akaashi.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would love to say that it’s nice to see you again, but then I would just be lying”, Kuroo sneered at Daichi.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m glad you said it, not me”, Daichi scoffed. Kuroo and Daichi laughed at their fake quarrel and dapped each other up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi scooted behind you and saw the perfect moment to get you back. He was gonna do it, he was finally gonna tease you like you always teased him. He slowly grabbed your waist and you felt his trembling fingers against your skin. You felt his breath against your neck and you wondered if he was getting self conscious about your swimsuit again. You grabbed his hands that were around your waist and leaned against him. Even though it was 100 degrees out, Asahi loved the way you comforted him by getting real close. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, it hit you. Asahi was trying to subtly let Kuroo and his friends know that you were his. He was trying to perform some PDA to send the signal but it wasn’t going through. You decided to help Asahi out by bringing his hands to the front of your stomach and placing your hand on top of his. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bokuto, Kuroo, Akaashi”, you said, getting the boys’ attention. “You’ve met my boyfriend right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut...up! Aha!”, Bokuto yelled. He looked at Kuroo with a smug look and Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Didn’t I tell you that they liked each other?!? You owe me ten bucks!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m never betting with you again…”, Kuroo growled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You guys betted on this?!?”, Asahi shrieked. The boys laughed and Asahi looked away, blushing profusely. “I guess it was pretty obvious...but yes, she’s my girlfriend.” Asahi kissed you on the cheek and the Karasuno boys barfed in disgust. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eww…I think I’m gonna throw up!”, Nishinoya gagged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nishinoya, be quiet!”, Asahi barked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto grabbed your hands excitedly and asked, “So when did you guys start dating?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“After Nationals! I’ll tell you the story, so…” You and Bokuto started chatting like school girls about your boyfriends and Kuroo and Akaashi took that as a sign they were now hanging out with Karasuno.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few moments later, Tanaka suggested that everyone get into the water and have a Chicken Fight. Everyone agreed except Tsukishima, who had been on shore for the majority of the day. You looked over to see Yamaguchi trying to get his friend to come but him refusing with an emotionless stare. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tsuki, you haven’t even touched the water. C’mon take a dip! It’s not gonna kill you to take a dip.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t feel like going in, now leave me alone!”, Tsukishima snapped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You were confused at why he was getting defensive about getting in the water and you finally put two and two together. “You can’t swim...can you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tskuishma blushed in anger that you figured it out. “That’s none of your business!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s OK, don’t worry about it. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.” Tsukishima thought you were kidding but realized you were genuinely serious. He finally gave in and started taking off his shirt. “Alright, fine! Fine! I’m coming.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve got you now!”, Saeko yelled. She tickled Tanaka's armpit causing him to fall back with Nishinoya on his shoulders. The boys surfaced from the water to see Saeko victoriously cheering on your shoulders. “That’s cheating!”, Nishinoya yelled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t hate the player, hate the game”, Saeko laughed as she high-fived you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tsukishima, your next!”, Bokuto said to the boy standing in the shallow part of the water. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima sternly shook his head “no” and everyone begged him to play. “</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll only play if Freckles is on my team”, he proposed. Yamaguchi’s face lit up and he smiled. “Y-yeah sure! I’ll play!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were up against Kuroo and Bokuto. When the fight started, Kuroo and Yamaguchi pushed back and forth trying to push the other into the water. Yamaguchi tried to tickle Kuroo but he didn't budge. “Yeah...that’s not gonna work on me!” They continued to battle for a little longer until Kuroo yanked Yamaguchi’s hand forward, causing him to fall and lose the fight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima got up from the water and Yamaguchi prepared himself to get yelled at. “I’m sorry! I tried to tickle him but he didn’t budge and your all wet now-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima started laughing and wiped the water from his eyes. Everyone watching was weirded out from hearing Tsukishima’s laugh because he rarely laughed. He helped his friend up from the water and grinned. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well I’m glad to see you having fun like a normal kid!”, Kuroo said, slapping Tsukishima on the back. “Get your filthy hands off me”, Tsukishima ordered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Next, you and Asahi were teamed against Sugawara and Daichi. You climbed onto Asahi's shoulders and he locked his arm around your thighs. Everything was fine until it dawned on you that your boyfriend’s head was in between your thighs. As you prepared yourself to fight, you tried not to think about it too much, but unfortunately, that’s all you were thinking about. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>I didn’t think this through. I should have asked Noya to team up with him...my cooter is on his neck! I hope he doesn’t notice...OF COURSE, HE’S GONNA NOTICE, IT’S ASAHI! OK, let’s just get through this game and everything will be fine. </em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everything was not fine because Asahi was freaking out due to your legs wrapped around his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope you're ready because you're going down!'', Sugawara on Daichi 's shoulders said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna make you eat your words, pretty boy!”, you yelled back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi gulped and lunged forward so you could attack Sugawara but Daichi moved to the side. They were trying to get you from the behind so they could push you over easier but you weren’t falling for that. You twisted your body around and Asahi followed, pushing Sugawara by the shoulders. Sugawara grabbed your hand and tried to yank you down but you grabbed his hand and pushed back. Back and forth the two of you pushed, trying to topple the other over. Asahi looked up to see what was going on and got a nice view of your underboob. He quickly looked back down and turned red in the face. What a view it was, but he had to focus on winning. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go down!”, Daichi said, stepping forward to give Sugawara more leverage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh no, you don’t!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, what are you-”, Asahi trembled as you started to move around on his shoulders. You squeezed your thighs tightly around Asahi’s head and began shaking Sugawara back and forth. You didn’t realize it but your hips moved back and forth on Asahi’s neck and he felt everything. He shuddered with every movement and fell into the water because he couldn’t take it anymore. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The water washed over you and you breached your head out to see what happened. “Wait, who fell into the water first?”, you asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Suga, so Asahi and Y/N win”, Nishinoya declared. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s goooo!”, you cheered as you had won the chicken fight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I really thought we had it!”, Daichi said. Sugawara sighs in defeat but you shook his hand because he put up a good fight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You wanted to congratulate Asahi on winning but you couldn’t find him. You looked around and found him farther out to sea than the group. “What are you doing over there?”, you asked, putting your hand on your forehead to block out the sun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, nothing! I just swam here”, he shouted in a hurry. “I’ll be there in a second!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No it’s fine I’ll come to you”, you said swimming towards him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“NO!”, Asahi yelled, swimming away from you. He put his hands back in the water in front of him and looked down nervously. “Just give me a...minute...OK!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone’s eyes widened when they read the context clues. Snickers filled the silence and those snickers turned into giggles. Kageyama was confused but Nishinoya whispered in his ear and his eyes grew large. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Asahi pfft- it’s OK...this happens to boys all the time-”, you said, trying not to laugh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“DON’T GIVE ME THE “THE TALK” RIGHT NOW YOU’RE THE REASON FOR THIS!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You blushed and laughed as Daichi, Sugawara, Nishinoya, and Tanaka swam out to Asahi to see what was wrong. Asahi came a little closer and he walked to where the water was at his knees. He held the front of his pants like a little boy who peed his pants at school and his friends huddled around him to inspect the tent in his swim trunks. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“OK, let’s see what we are working with”, Daichi laughed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me guess...her thighs around your head? That’ll do it!”, Sugawara joked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Asahi, think of something to make it go down...like an old lady!”, Nishinoya chined in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude it’s totally normal. I remember when I had this dream about Kiyoko and I woke up and it was just staring at me-”, Tanaka added.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“GUYS STOP! OH MY GOD!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You continued to laugh and stepped back on something squishy on the ocean floor. You felt a sharp pain in your ankle and fell into the water. You let out a cry and everyone turned their attention to you. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto and Kuroo were the closest so they went to check on you. “Y/N? What happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah...I think I got stung by something…”, you winced in pain. You tried to stand but the pain intensified and you cried out due to how bad it stung. “OW! OW!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rapid splashing headed towards you as you were swiftly picked up by a large figure. “Y/N! Oh my God, are you OK?!?”, Asahi frantically asked. It seems like your cries of pain made him forget about his “situation”. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi carried you in his arms out of the water and started heading for the beach chairs. Kiyoko and Akaashi were watching the bags so they had no idea what was going on until they saw Asahi carrying you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I...I think I was stung by a jellyfish...aah”, you moaned in pain. Asahi looked at your swollen ankle and saw that the area was inflamed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know it hurts but you're gonna be OK.” In remorse, Asahi kissed your ankle . “You’re doing so good for me, just hold on, OK?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pain from your ankle was something you didn’t even notice anymore because you focused on the sentence that was just spoken to you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>...you’re doing so good for me...you’re doing so good for me…</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh wow...”, you softly moaned. You turned your head away from Asahi as you blushed in your boyfriend’s muscular arms because of what he said. It had a sweet ring to it when it rolled off his lips and even though you knew he didn’t mean it that way, you took it that way. You turned into putty while he carried you to the chair, breathless the whole way there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When you turned your head away, Asahi realized what he had done. He didn’t mean to that but he smiled in victory because he finally got you back and your blushing face was his prize.</span>
</p>
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